What Now?
by Bm-Atticus
Summary: REWRITTEN From the Kink Meme. High School partial AU. “Oh yes, I can just imagine saying that to everyone back at school. ‘Oh no, Phoenix isn’t fat, he’s pregnant. What? Protection? Sorry, I didn't realize he was OVULATING at the time." Mpreg.
1. Who Says Partial Nudity is a Bad Thing?

A/N: Well here is the first chapter. This started as a somewhat simple prompt from the famous Phoenix Wright Kink Meme and went from there. Since I've started to write Fanfiction again as a hobby I thought I'd put this revised version up while I work on other stories as well. I'm mostly done with this thing so I'll be posting a chapter every Monday until it's finished.

Anyway, the prompt was a High School AU where Miles' father Gregory wasn't killed all those years ago and to throw in good ol' fashioned Mpreg. It was a lot of fun to plan out and write.

Now on with the show!

* * *

Whoever invented Physical Education should burn in hell for all eternity.

_Or at least be shot. _Thought Miles Edgeworth after spotting a shirtless Phoenix Wright passing by for the third time in the past eight minutes. Not that he was counting, mind you. No, that would be weird… and just a tad bit creepy. The locker room had always been the bane of Miles' existence. Honestly, did public schools fail to realize that most normal, civilized people did not want to be forced to dress and redress in front of several dozen other males?

"Wright, would you do all of us a favor and cover yourself? I'm afraid there isn't enough bleach for all of us to wash out our eyes."

Upon hearing his name, the spiky haired sixteen year old grinned and began to walk back over to his childhood friend. "Miles, we've known each other for how long now? Like, seven years?"

Actually it was six years, ten months, and three weeks, not that Miles kept track of those kinds of things because once again, that would be obsessive and creepy.

Receiving no verbal correction, Phoenix continued, "I think it's about time you call me by first name, or just Nick if you like."

"I refuse to bastardize your name in such a way." Miles replied curtly. It had always been this way from day one. Ever since a young happy-go-lucky child named Phoenix Wright had dared to call Miles Edgeworth 'stuffy', Miles had responded by addressing Phoenix by his last name, if only to spite him. Stuffy indeed! Wearing a nice outfit on the first day of school was no reason to be called stuffy!

Sometime during Miles' mental tirade, the grey haired teen failed to notice that Phoenix had stepped into his sacred 'Personal Space Bubble' of which both Phoenix and their friend Larry Butz were very familiar with. By the time Miles became aware of the fact someone had in fact dared to step in his 'Personal Space Bubble', he was staring into a pair of blue, curious eyes.

In his surprised, Miles took two quick steps back to regain his personal space. Now, this would have been a very good idea had it not been for one small detail…

A loud clanging noise, sounded off in the now nearly empty locker room.

"Hey Miles? You know you shouldn't leave your locker door open. You might get hurt."

"Yes, thank you for that lovely bit of information. Feel free to remind me when my head stops throbbing…what the hell do you think you're doing Wright?"

"I'm checking for bumps. I wouldn't want to great Miles Edgeworth to lose any precious brain cells."

Unlike Phoenix, Miles was all too aware of the rather compromising position they were now in. The shirtless teen was all but pressing is body against Miles as he reached around to feel the back of Miles' head.

Miles knew he was blushing, he could feel the heat on his face. But at the moment it wasn't the heat that was rushing to his face he was worried about.

_This is wrong… I can't even begin to think how wrong this is. Wright is my friend, my childhood friend for God's sake! I shouldn't even be remotely attracted to him! I need to distract myself! Anything! Old ladies in bikinis, dead birds, whatever they served in cafeteria last Thursday-_

"Ow!"

_Or an idiot who doesn't understand the meaning of soft touches… _

"Sorry!" Said the spiky haired teenager as he pulled his hand away from the back of Miles' head. "Wow, you really did bump your head pretty bad."

"Which I have you to thank."

Phoenix rolled his eyes. "Oh, don't give me that look. Here, why don't I make it up to you? Since this is our last class and the nurse's office is closed, why don't you come over to my house for an ice pack? We could hang out, watch TV, play some video games…"

"Work on that project due to tomorrow…" Miles added dryly.

Phoenix stared at Miles for a moment before he began to laugh. Miles cracked a small smile as Phoenix began scratching the back of his head, something Miles always found endearing about his best friend. It was moments like these that tempted the grey haired teen to allow himself to consider the possibilities of possibly being attracted to Phoenix Wright.

"Well, I suppose I can take you up on your offer. Just don't expect me to do your project for you again."

Phoenix's face broke out into a wide grin. "Great let's go!"

"Wright," Miles started with a sigh. "Your still lacking a shirt. Kindly put one on before you go into public."

"But then no one will be able to see my sexy body!"

"Now you're catching on."

"Oh I get it, you just want my hot body all to yourself!"

"…Shut up and put on a damn shirt ,Wright.


	2. Now it'll Glow in the Dark!

A/N: Well I pretty much finished this story last night, so to celebrate I decided to post the next chapter up a little earlier. Hope you enjoy it!

WARNING: Things get a little on the steamy side.

Miles followed Phoenix down three blocks to his apartment complex in silence. He was more then content to listen to his childhood friend ramble on about how evil his history teacher was. It made for a lovely distraction from the events that had taken place in the locker room. But it was only a matter of time before Miles began to remember Phoenix's bare, sculpted chest on his. Ok maybe it wasn't sculpted… he was actually pretty skinny…

_This is foolish… I shouldn't be aroused in the least by something like that!_

"And then he said that I had write to five page paper! It isn't fair! Sometimes I think Larry's bad luck is rubbing off one me…

_Not to mention he's a man! What would father think of me?_

"Miles?"

_Well, he might not be too upset, but that doesn't change the fact I'm getting aroused at the thought of my best friend half naked!_

"Helloooo, earth to Miles Edgeworth!"

_This is going to make Buttz's pool parties impossible!_

"Miles, I'm pregnant with your love baby."

_And he's pregnant with my-wait what?_ "Wright, what the hell are you talking about?" Miles asked looking up at the spiky haired teen grinning like a lunatic.

"I had to say something Miles. You really need to stop those mental rants of yours. It's sort of creepy. Anyway, we're here. Wait here while I go get the house key."

Miles nodded as Phoenix ran across the lawn and opened up the side gate. The gray haired teen took the opportunity to notice the way Phoenix's ass moved as he took long strides across the front yard.

_Oh hell, now I'm looking at his _backside_?! Get a grip Miles! This is ridiculous, and you know it!_

He was probably straight anyway…

And where did that thought come from?! _Maybe Wright was right about my mental rants…_

Fortunately, Phoenix returned with the house key in hand to prevent any more mental rants at the moment. The door was opened and the two boys stepped inside. Phoenix dropped his backpack by the door and headed up the stairs.

Miles raised an eyebrow at the forgotten backpack. "Wright, you are aware you will more then likely need whatever is in that pit of a book bag to finish your project." A statement, not a question. Phoenix paused in the middle of the staircase to turn around and flash of a grin that Miles never failed to find suspicion in. "I never told you what kind of project it was. Now come on, I need your help."

--

Miles would never admit it out loud, but he always liked being in Phoenix's room.

While Miles' own room was neat as a pin and practical for a hardworking student, Phoenix room was in his words 'organized chaos'. Several easels were spread throughout the small bedroom, canvases were stacked in just about every available space and the walls were nearly covered in pictures ranging from simple crayon drawings to intricate pencil and charcoal pieces.

"Sorry about the mess." The spiky haired teen said quickly at he jumped over a pile of paintings.

"Its nothing I haven't seen before." Miles replied with a small smile.

So why did Miles like Phoenix's bedroom so much?

Because Phoenix Wright's bedroom was its own work of art.

Phoenix maneuvered over to the chair by his desk and pushed off the sketchbooks that he had piled on it earlier. "Ok, sit here for me ok?"

Miles looked at his friend curiously. "What is this about, Wright?"

A rare look of embarrassment was apparent on Phoenix's face and he hesitated before answering. "…I have an art project due and… well… It has to be of something that we're close too or value so…"

This time it was Miles' turn to look embarrassed. "So you want me to be the subject?" He asked, not knowing if he should feel flattered or not.

A silent nod from Phoenix.

"And that's all?"

Another nod.

"This isn't going to be one of those… nude drawings, is it?"

A blush, and a violent shake of the head. "N-no way, Miles that's… Well, anyway, go ahead and pose. Or something"

"…Like this?"

"No, your just sitting there, that's so boring! Do something more, I dunno… energetic."

"Wright, you asked me to do this. If you don't like it come over here and fix it yourself."

Miles knew it was mistake the moment Phoenix invaded Miles' Personal Space Bubble and began to touch various parts of his body in an attempt to move the gray haired teen into the perfect position.

"Now just move your head a little to the left like this…"

_Oh god…_

"Wright, I don't think-"

"Relax your shoulders a little more, you're too tense."

_Oh god…_

"That's because you're-!"

"Now let me move your hips-"

_SHIT!_

"STOP TOUCHING ME, WRIGHT!"

Phoenix froze in place and stared at Miles, the young man who hardly ever raised in voice, even when they got into the worst of arguments. 'Evidence and facts' Miles always said 'Not a voice will win an argument.' So to hear Miles Edgeworth raise his voice to such a high volume surprised Phoenix.

"M-miles, are you…alright?" Phoenix stammered. Miles face now resemed that of a fresh tomato, which Phoenix thought, couldn't be healthy. Miles looked at his best friend of seven years with a look Phoenix had never seen before.

"No, Wright, I'm not. I don't think… I can't do this, I'm sorry. I-I need to go." Miles stood up to leave but Phoenix quickly placed his hands on Miles' shoulder and pushed him back on the chair. "Miles, what's wrong? You've been spacing out almost all day, and now this? You call me if something bothering you."

"Not this…" Miles said so quietly Phoenix almost missed it.

"Why not?" The spiky haired boy asked.

Miles looked away from his friend. "You wouldn't understand…" He said, unable to look at Phoenix's frustrated face.

"I might be able to if you'd just tell me! What's so bad that you can't just open your mouth an-"

Miles Edgeworth, in his momentary lapse of judgment, decided it was time to shut Phoenix up at the source. Pulling Phoenix down to his level, Miles pressed his lips against the other teen's.

They were every bit as soft as Miles had imagined them to be.

However, the moment that thought passed through Miles' mind did he realize what he was doing.

_Oh god, I'm kissing him! I'm kissing Wright! Our friendship is ruined! There's no way I can explain this-is he kissing me back…Oh my god, is that his_ tongue?!

Much to Miles' surprise, Phoenix began to push forward and attempt to push apart the gray haired teen's lips. Phoenix's hands had moved from Miles' shoulders to the back of his head, this time missing the bump that Miles had completely forgotten about.

Miles, who had just about no experience in kissing, was unsure weather or not to open his mouth so he stayed where he was. Luckily Phoenix decided for Miles by grabbing the teen's ass and giving it enough of a squeeze to elicit a gasp from his mouth, allowing Phoenix to slide his past Miles' lips to explore.

Phoenix nearly moaned in disappointment when Miles pulled away. Both teens were silent minus their heavy breathing.

"…So…what… did you…want to tell me?" Phoenix asked with a lopsided grin.

Miles glared at his best friend. "How can you treat what just happened so casually?! I just kissed you! This is going to change our friendship forever and your just- just- being YOU!"

"My, aren't we articulate today?" Phoenix said with a bit of a chuckle. "Miles… this doesn't have to change anything. Listen, I think it's obvious that we both… well… are a bit pent up…"

Miles' eyes widened, not believing what coming out of his friends mouth."Your not seriously suggesting what I think you are…"

"Only if you want to!" Phoenix added quickly. "I mean, I've been thinking about a lot lately and it's… well…"

"Disturbing?" Miles added.

Phoenix nodded. "Yeah, I was pretty sure was I straight until… well… we staring having PE together."

_Damn you PE. May your creator's death be swift and merciless…_ "I believe that has been my problem as well. So, what you are saying is we… find release with one another."

Phoenix nodded again. "Yeah, and then afterward we can pretend it never happened. Then we'll be able to just get on with your life and go back to being best friends like always."

"Or it could just make this entire situation more awkward then it already is." Miles muttered. This had Bad Idea written across it in screaming neon pink letters. But he could see the logic in it, simple as it was. Find release with the person he was currently lusting after, and be free of said lust and go on about their lives.

"…Alright." Miles relented. "Let's give this a try."

--

"Would you quit looking at me?"

"I can't exactly close my eyes for the whole thing Miles. Besides I see you all the time in the locker room."

"Yes, but I had pants on."

"Your such a prude."

"And you are an exhibitionist."

"A what?"

"Never mind, just get it over with. Where are the condoms?"

"Top drawer. My dad gave me a bunch when I started high school. I think he thought I'd be like him and get all the girls in school."

"Wonderful… Wright, I think your father was being sarcastic."

"Why?"

"These are all glow in the dark condoms… they're useless."

"Well that's a dent to my ego. Wait, Miles? Why do we even need one? Are you a virgin?"

"I believe that's a personal question, Wright."

"Miles, we're about to have sex. I think that's about as personal as it gets."

"…Yes, I am."

"Well, so am I, so what are we worrying about? Let's get to it!

"Well I still think we should at lea-What the hell do you think your doing?!"

"Umm… having sex with you?"

"Without any lubrication or preparation?! Ugh, you know what? Lay on your back, I'm on top."

"What, why?!"

"Because I'd prefer to not have a trip to hospital due to your incompetence. Now spread your legs."

"Mmm… I never knew you were so demanding in bed. It's pretty sexy."

"Shut up and spread 'em."

--

Miles looked down at the sight before him and tried to fight the blush that was already apparent. Currently under him was a very naked and aroused Phoenix Wright, legs spread and his 'trademark smile' in place. After the incident with the condoms and lack of lubrication it was wonder either of then were able to stay aroused. Miles had taken his time in preparing Phoenix and ignoring the complaints of the lube being too cold and wet. After placing a generous amount on his arousal, Miles helped Phoenix wrap his legs around his waist and began to push inside his best friend.

"Oh god, W-wright this is… this is…" Miles couldn't even find words to describe it.

Phoenix cringed and tried to hold back a whimper. He had a feeling it wouldn't be pleasant at first. "Miles…Call me Phoenix… please…" He managed to say before going back to biting his lip.

Miles looked down at Phoenix and frowned. Was he really hurting that bad? Should he stop? "Wrig-Phoenix, we can stop if it hurts too-"

Phoenix shook his head fiercely. "No! We've gone way to-Miles do that again."

"Do, what? This?" The teen asked and shifted his hip slightly earning a moan of pleasure of his temporary lover.

"Yeah… oh god, don't stop doing that Miles."

"Alright, Phoenix."

And Miles didn't stop. It wasn't until he had taken Phoenix four times that Miles realized he had to go home.

"I'll see you tomorrow" was what they had said to each other before Miles had left.

It was three weeks before either Miles Edgeworth or Phoenix Wright even spoke to one another.


	3. Prejudice Against Fruit

AN: Here's a longer update as thanks for the views and reviews. Once again, things get a bit on the warm side, but hey, it's all part of the plot I promise!

The first week Larry assumed Phoenix and Miles were just busy.

The second week Larry guessed that Phoenix and Miles had gotten into a fight.

By the third week, Larry decided that this was getting ridiculous. Whatever was going on, Larry knew it was up to him to get to the bottom of it!

"Hey, Edgy! What's goin' on between you and Nick?"

Miles Edgeworth didn't even have to look up from his desk to figure out who was speaking to him. Only one person dared to bastardize his name in such a way.

"What do you want, Butz? I'm busy."

Larry raised an eyebrow and leaned over to get a better look of Miles' notebook. "Busy with what? Drawing birds all over your notebook? Dude, those are some weird lookin' birds. Hmm…" Larry began scratching his chin in thought. "I think I've seen those birds somewhere before, they look kinda like a Phoen-"

"Will you get out of here?!" Miles hissed, slamming his notebook shut. Larry held up his hands showing he meant no harm and backed away slowly, as if Miles was a large cat, ready to pounce.

Well, that didn't go as well as I'd planned… Oh well, Edgeworth always been a tough nut to crack. Might as well go find Nick

--

Phoenix sat in the middle of class art studio silently staring at the blank canvas in front of him. For three weeks he had been unable to paint, draw, even doodle. He had tried, oh how he tried, but every time, his hand seemed to move on its own and create and image that look far too much like a certain gray haired teen.

The past three weeks had been nearly impossible. He had just been… unable to even look at Miles. Even when he did, it was only for a few seconds before looking away. Phoenix knew having sex with Miles had been a mistake. Instead of eliminating the tension, they had, in one single afternoon replaced it with something far more awkward. Now Miles was all he could about. His soft gray hair, his charismatic voice, the way his face had scrunched when he-

"Yo, Nick!"

Phoenix nearly fell out of chair as the sound of Larry's voice shattered the silence of the art studio, and possibly his ear drums.

"H-hey, Larry. What are you doing here? Don't you have class?" Phoenix asked, trying to hide the annoyance his voice. It hadn't been Larry's fault that he had come bursting into the room while he was think in about… well… you-know-who.

Larry shook his head in response and took a seat next to Phoenix. "That's not important right now. What's been going on between you and Edgeworth? You two haven't gone near each other for the past three weeks! What the hell man? We've been the three amigos since like, fourth grade! Between Edgie drawing a bunch of birds and your not drawing at all, this whole thing has me really creeped out. Did you guys have a fight or something? Because whatever it was, it couldn't have been bad enough for you two to give each other the cold shoulder."

Phoenix took this wonderful opportunity to examine his shoes. "I-It's nothing… we didn't fight, we've just been really busy with schoolwork and stuff."

The look on Larry's face clearly showed he wasn't buying it. "Dude, come on. You know I'm not going to let this go until you answer me."

Phoenix shook his head mournfully. "This isn't something I really want to talk about."

Larry furrowed his brow and sighed. This wasn't working. Something big had happened, and Nick was doing his damndest to keep his mouth shut. Well, time to go with plan B: Lock Nick and Edgeworth in closet or room or something and make them work it out. It was so brilliant, or utterly cliché neither of them would see coming!

"Alright, Nick. You win" Larry said, trying to hold back a smile. "It's almost lunch anyway. And since Edgie somehow managed to disappear at lunch everyday for three weeks, it's just you and me." Phoenix smiled a little and gave Larry a playful punch to the shoulder to which Larry responded by a light shove to the chest.

"Ow! Dammit…" Phoenix hissed and batted Larry's hand away from his chest.

"Dude, are you alright?" Larry asked, worry evident in his voice.

Phoenix nodded and wrapped his arms around his chest, trying to will the pain away. "Y-yeah… This happened yesterday to. We were playing soccer last week and I think the ball hit my chest too many times. God, it feels like two ongoing titty twisters."

Larry's face scrunched up at the description. "…I really didn't need to know that, Nick."

Phoenix laughed a little and took his hands away from his chest. "Yeah, sorry about that." He said and stood up from his chair. "Let's get out of here, Larry. If we leave now I think we can avoid most of the lunch line." As Phoenix and Larry walked out the studio, the Spiky haired teen grabbed a piece of fruit that had been used for a recent still life. As Phoenix bit into it, Larry stared at the other boy as if he had grown a second head.

"What?" Phoenix asked, with a mouth full of apple.

"I thought you hated fruit! Your mom had to bribe you just so you would take a bite! And now you just grab an apple like it's nothing. Who are you and what have you done with Nick?!"

Phoenix bit back a groan. Larry could be way too obsessive sometimes. "It's no big deal. Besides, I'm really hungry. And I never said I hated fruit."

"Yes you did. You even wrote and entire essay on it in fifth grade."

"How the hell do you remember this stuff?"

--

As the lunch bell rang, hundreds of students poured into the cramped cafeteria, hoping to be first in line and grab the food that was considered edible by human standards.

But Phoenix Wright and Larry Buttz were nowhere near the cafeteria.

Larry was currently outside the boy's restroom with an annoyed look on his face. "I told you shouldn't have eaten that piece of fruit. Now I'm stuck here listening to your throw up whatever the hell you ate this morning."

The sound of retching reached Larry ears in response.

As Larry continued to wait, the sound of footsteps could be heard in between Phoenix retching.

No way… this is almost too perfect. Larry thought as a certain gray haired teenager rounded the corner.

"Hey Edgie, so this is where you go during lunch? The bathroom?"

"No, I go into the one place you would never set foot in."

"…The girl's bathroom?"

"The library."

"Oh…Hey wait! I've been to the library tons of times!"

"Only when your latest love interest needs you to do her homework."

"That's cruel, dude."

"So is your fashion sense, now if you'll excuse me…" Miles didn't even bother to finish his sentence as he slipped into the boy's bathroom.

It took Larry a few seconds to process what had just happened: Miles went into the bathroom, Nick was also in the bathroom, the bathroom also smelled like vomit which would cause them both to leave as quickly possible, still not speaking to each other and being back to square one.

As quickly as he could manage, Larry locked the bathroom door from the outside. "There! Now you have no choice but to make up! You'll thank me for this later. I'll come and get you after lunch."

--

It was pungent scent of vomit that hit Miles first. Miles covered his mouth and headed to door only to find that it wouldn't budge. Upon hearing Buttz's triumphant announcement, the teen began to use every curse and swear he knew in the English language and when he ran out he switched to German.

/…Son of a pig fucker, when I get out of here I'll-/

"I didn't know you spoke German."

"Father thought it would be a good idea if I was well versed in-Phoenix!"

"Yes, that's my name last I checked."

Miles turned around from his swear fest to spot said teen staggering out of the cubicle, wiping his mouth with his hand. To say Miles was horrified would have been the understatement of the millennium. "Oh my god…Y-you just threw up.. and you wiped your mouth with-Ugh! Don't move! Don't you _dare_ touch anything!"

Forgetting about the locked for the moment, Miles ran over to the sink, grabbed a decent amount of paper towels and wet them under the sink.

"Wipe your mouth with this, then for the love god, wash your hands!" Miles stated as he shoved the soggy paper towels into Phoenix's hands. Phoenix stared at the towels then looked up at Miles who was standing there expectantly.

"Wow, if me puking my guts out was all it took to get us talking again, we could have done this a week ago." Phoenix said and wiped his mouth with the towels.

Miles quirked an eyebrow. "This has been going on for a week? Is it the flu?"

Phoenix shrugged. "Maybe, it's not so bad though. I was fine until I ate that fruit a little while ago.

"Didn't you write an essay about how much you hated fruit?"

"How come everyone seems to remember that?"

"Phoenix, we're getting off the main subject. It's been three weeks since we've even looked each in the face." He said in an almost business like tone.

"Yeah… I guess that brilliant plan of mine wasn't so brilliant." Phoenix mumbled.

Miles let out a long sigh and sat against the wall. "Ever since… that day… I couldn't stop thinking about it. I think having just made it worse, only now instead of trying to deny that I'm attracted to you think about how to… to…

"Stuff me like a thanksgiving turkey?"

"If you want to put so crudely then yes, I do. And because of that I don't think we can be friends anymore."

Phoenix's blue eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "B-But why?! Miles, your being-"

"Practical." Miles interrupted. "We took a risk having sex with each other and now I can't think of you as a friend anymore. I'm sorry Phoenix, but I don't think our old friendship is salvageable."

"Miles…" Phoenix started, moving closer to his best friend. The look in his eyes was something Miles had never seen before. He was nervous and hesitant and his eyes were darting all over the place.

"Miles… if that's how it's going to be… then I guess I have something I need to tell you to…"

Miles looked at Phoenix with a curious expression. "Really? And what would that be?"

Phoenix, still unable to make eye contact with his childhood friend, ran a hand through his spiked hair in an attempt to find the right words. "Well you see… I think I know what's wrong me."

"Go on." Miles prompted.

"The throwing up, eating foods I normally hate-"

"So you admit to hating fruit."

"Shut up, that's not important right now! Anyway, it all made sense and when I saw you a little while ago I finally figured it out…"

"While we're still young, Phoenix"

"Miles, I think I'm gay for you."

"…"

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry, was I supposed to be surprised or did you want me to put that little tidbit in the big book of 'Shit I Already Know?'"

Phoenix was floored. "Bu-but… how?"

"I highly doubt a straight man would be willing to have sex with me three times-"

"Four. We got a little frisky in the shower before you left."

"…Anyway, it was sort of hard for me not to know." Miles concluded, crossing his arms.

Phoenix lifted his head to look at Miles with the most pathetically torn expression he gray haired teen had ever seen. "Then… why? Why can't be we friends anymore?!"

To Phoenix surprise, Miles smiled then, though he would have called it more of a smirk. "Because unlike most boys at this school, I do not believe in one night stands. I've been doing a lot of thinking these past three weeks. At first I tried to forget about that night as per our agreement… But I couldn't, god, I just couldn't, Phoenix. The feelings, the touches, you. I haven't been able to concentrate on anything."

Miles waited for one of Phoenix's usual interruptions, but was surprisingly silent. Pleased, Miles continued.

"I couldn't deny how that day made me feel. I thought that perhaps it was just the act of fornication itself, after all according to just about every adult a sixteen year old male is just a big ball of hormones. But… I couldn't imagine doing those of things with anyone else. Phoenix, I can't think of you as just a friend anymore. You're so much more then that to me now. I was still working up the courage to tell you. But thanks to Buttz's moronic stunt I-…Phoenix, are you crying?"

A sniffle. "N-No…" Phoenix voice cracked as he buried his head in his knees.

Miles looked at the boy amazed. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen Phoenix Wright cry. Silently, Miles gathered Phoenix in his arms and held the spiky haired teen against him.

"You have no idea how shitty these three have been…" Came Phoenix's muffled voice from against Miles' chest. "I have to run out the classroom to puke my damn guts out, I can barely sleep at night, I'm eating fruit -yes I HATE FRUIT-, I'm crying like some stupid school girl, and to top it all you trick me into thinking we're not friends anymore! You fucking jerk! I thought my heart was going to stop!"

Guilt began to eat at Miles like some dammed termite. He hadn't meant to make Phoenix cry over it. He thought the other boy would be happy about it. "I'm sorry." He said earnestly. "I shouldn't have said it like that." As Miles hugged Phoenix back, the other boy suddenly tense and pulled away.

"Owowowowwww…. damn, I can't believe it still hurts…" Phoenix said with a wince and wrapped his arms around his chest once again trying to make the pain go away.

Miles curious and worried stared down at Phoenix's chest. "Your chest hurts? What happened?"

Phoenix shook his head and shrugged. "I dunno. It just started hurting if you touched it too hard. It's sort of like I'm getting two titty twisters at the same time."

"Classy." Miles deadpanned. "Let me have a look." He said and lifted up Phoenix's t-shirt. Nothing was bruised or out of the ordinary…except.

"They're darker then I remember them being." Miles murmured.

"What's darker?" Phoenix asked, trying to get a better look.

"Your areolas."

"…My what?"

"Dear god, how did you pass biology, Wright? Your areolas is this area right here." To show what he meant, Miles gently traced the area around Phoenix's nipple, causing the boy to shiver.

"O-oh… is that bad?" Phoenix asked, a little worried. Was he sick… like, cancer sick?! "Oh my god, I think I have cancer!" He wailed, much to Miles' annoyance.

"I highly doubt that you have cancer, Phoenix. As soon as we get out of here, I'll look it up and let you know." Miles decided now was a good time to get off the bathroom floor and stood up. Phoenix followed suit and stood up and pulled down his shirt. After a few moments of awkward silence, Phoenix spoke up. "So… does this mean we're… you know… boyfriends?"

Miles considered Phoenix's question for a moment. "Yes, I suppose it does." He replied. "But that doesn't mean I want to proclaim it to the entire school."

Phoenix nodded in agreement. "Yeah, if my parents found out I was gettin' it on with a guy I'm pretty sure they'd kill me." But even after that particular thought, the spiky haired teen smiled. "Well, then it's official! As of today, Phoenix Wright and Miles are officially hooked up!"

"Because who else would have us?" Miles mumbled, half-jokingly. He couldn't truly imagine being happy with anyone else. As annoying, messy, idiotic, and lazy Phoenix could be, he had always been the one that seemed to bring out the best in Miles.

Phoenix grinned and leaned in for a kiss only to have his lips come into contact with Miles' hand. "If you think I'm going to let you kiss me after you've spent the last few minutes vomiting in the stall, you're sorely mistaken.

"You're mean…" Phoenix whined.

"So I've been told. Now, behave until Buttz gets his sorry ass back here."

Phoenix began pouting. Lunch didn't end for another twenty minutes! What were they supposed to do until then if he couldn't make out with his new boyfriend?!

Then the proverbial light bulb lit up over the teen's head.

Grinning mischievously, Phoenix silently sunk to his knees in front of Miles. Miles' eyes widened slightly when he realized that Phoenix had unzipped his pants was in the process of pulling down his boxers. "Phoenix what do you think you're…you're…oh…oh shit."

Miles was thankful that he was close enough to lean against the wall for support. Had it not been there, the gray haired teen was certain that his legs would have the buckled the moment he saw Phoenix wrap his lips around his quickly hardening cock.

_God, where the hell did he learn to do something like this? Has he done this before? No… there's no way… I-Is he just making it up as he goes? It sure sounds like him…_

Miles was forced out of his mental debate when Phoenix, who had slowly begun bobbing his up and down Miles' cock, accidentally scraped his teeth against the sensitive flesh. Miles let out a pained hiss. "Watch it down there!" He warned.

_I_ _take it back. He has no idea what the hell he's doing._

Eventually, Phoenix finally seemed to get the hang of it and was even managing to put his tongue to good use, finding that occasionally taking time to swirl his tongue around the tip of Miles' cock brought about a pleasant response from his boyfriend.

By now, Miles had buried his hand in Phoenix's spikes and was fighting the urge to just shove himself down Phoenix's throat, but even with his lack of experience, Miles was more the certain that choking your partner to death with your cock was a bad thing.

Feeling the familiar pressure begin to build up around his groin, Miles started to become a bit more vocal. Now, this can have both good and negative consequences. The good: Your partner will now that he or she is doing a good job and feel more confident in their sexual endeavor. The Negative: Being Vocal has a tendency to drown out any other noise, particularly, the sound of a door being unlocked and someone steeping inside.

"Oh god…Phoenix.. I-I'm gonna… I'm gonna…"

"Hey Nick, Edgie! You guys make u-_holy shit_!"

"Buttz?! What the are you-!"

From then on and for the rest of his life, Miles Edgeworth cursed Phoenix Wight's horribly painful habit of gritting his teeth whenever he was surprised.


	4. Rabies Shots Are All the Rage

Needless to say, the rest of the day was quite possibly the most embarrassing and awkward afternoon of Miles Edgeworth's life.

The first portion consisted of explaining to a hysterical Larry Butz that yes, Miles and Phoenix were together, no, they weren't about to try and seduce Larry into a threesome, and yes if Larry ever told a soul both Miles and Phoenix would kill him, bring him back from the dead and kill him again.

"Well, I guess it's a little weird." Larry said. "But now I don't have to worry about you two hoggin' up all of hotties."

The second portion involved both Larry and Phoenix helping Miles into the nurses office and trying to come up with a believable story, which both teens failed miserably.

"..And then the raccoon just bit him ma'am." Phoenix finished, trying his best not to look horribly guilty.

Miles groaned from his place on the nurse's cot.

Anyone with half a brain could tell the nurse wasn't buying it.

Miles vowed to horribly injure both his friend and boyfriend once his entire lower body stopped feeling like it was on fire.

The nurse has shooed Phoenix and Larry out of the nurse's office, to which Miles was grateful. Thankfully, she also refrained from asking any questions, instead, she handed the gray haired teen an ice pack and called his father.

"Mr. Edgeworth? Yes, this is Miss Klink from Granite Hill High School. We have your son here who sustained a rather… unusual injury and cannot finish out the school. Yes well… I don't really think It's my place to say over the phone. When you pick him up you can discuss it with him."

This led the fourth, and Miles' favorite part of the afternoon: Explaining to his father who somehow, someway, always seemed to know when Miles was lying or hiding something.

Sometimes having a lawyer for a father really sucked.

What followed was the single most awkward conversion he ever had with his father.

"…So we made up. Then Phoenix asked if we were, you know… boyfriends. I said yes and well, the door was still locked and lunch didn't end for another twenty minutes so…"

"You decided to 'entertain' each other." Gregory Edgeworth added helpfully.

Miles already red face seemed to turn another darker shade as he fiddled with the ice pack. "It wasn't my idea. And then Butz unlocked the door… And I guess Phoenix was more surprised then either of us and he…"

"Bit you." Gregory added once again, holding a hand over his mouth to hold back a snicker and failing.

"Father, I fail to find this situation funny in the least." Miles glared at his father who tried to wipe away the grin threatening to form.

"I'm sorry Miles. I just never pegged you for the type to get into these situations." The older Edgeworth said as he pulled into the driveway. "In fact, I was beginning to worry that you'd never start dating. You never showed any interest in anything except school and law. But I suppose if you were going to be with someone it was probably going to be Phoenix."

Miles raised an eyebrow as he carefully climbed out of his father's car. "Really? Care to explain your reasoning to your statement, father?"

"Because Phoenix is the only person on this planet who'd be willing to put up with you."

"What?!"

"Miles, you're a perfectionist, neurotic, one of biggest germo-phobes I've ever seen, not to mention go out of your way to correct the grammar of complete strangers."

"…I concede this argument for now. If only because if I stand up any longer my legs will give out." And with that Miles limped into the house and began to utter a string of curses as he dragged himself upstairs.

Gregory chuckled to himself as he locked the car and went into the house. He should probably lay off, but sometimes it was just too much fun.

--

'So, your not mad about the whole biting thing?' asked Phoenix carefully.

Miles, holding the phone in one hand and clicking the computer mouse in the other, sighed heavily. "For the tenth time, no. I'm not mad at you, not really anyway. I'm just not letting you anywhere near my lower body for a while."

Miles heard something akin to a whine on the other end of the line, but chose not to acknowledge it. He could already picture Phoenix giving him the puppy dog eyes. It was a cute thought, but Miles was all but immune to those big, blue, adorable-DAMMIT! He was not going to succumb this time!

Now was probably a good time to change the subject. "So, I've been trying to figure out what your symptoms mean, but its weird. The sites I've gone to let you type in your symptoms and it gives you a list of possible causes, but when ever I type in all of your symptoms together it doesn't come up with anything. I tried typing them in separately and according to this site its either all in your head or hematoma."

There was a pause from the other line before a hesitant voice asked. '…Is that bad?'

"I don't know. They didn't even give me a proper definition. But I think it's just a fancy word for bruise. I don't get it. I refuse to believe you have some new, mysterious illness. Maybe some it is in your head, Phoenix.'

'Well tell that to all the kids who pointed out a skin problem on my face!" Phoenix bit back, obviously a little annoyed.

Miles eyes widened slightly. "A skin thing? Why didn't I see it in the bathroom?"

'It wasn't so bad and the lights in there are pretty dim. It got worse just after you left. Its on both my cheeks and the bridge of my nose. Someone said it was… it was… damn I can't remember! It started with a 'p'…"

"Pigment." Miles added. "God, Phoenix we just went over that in biology. How do you keep from failing?"

'A six pack of Red Bull and a few all nighters.' Phoenix chirped, much to Miles' despair.

'Hey, I have an idea!' Phoenix said suddenly. 'Just type in all of the symptoms into Google or something a see what it says! I always thought those symptom checker sites were just made to scare people.'

Miles sighed and clicked on the Google search engine and typed in every symptom Phoenix had mentioned:

Frequent nausea and vomiting.

Tenderness and sensitivity to the chest area.

Darkening of the areolas.

Cravings for food previously hated.

Skin Pigment of the face.

The gray haired teen clicked the search button and waited. After a few seconds results started popping up.

Miles nearly dropped the phone when he read them.

Each and every result mentioned the same thing:

Early Signs of Pregnancy.

No, that's stupid. Phoenix is a man, with male bits and everything. Sure all of his symptoms are similar, but it's just not possible. Its beyond impossible!

But now that little thought had made a small home in the back of Miles' mind.

For now, Phoenix voice brought Miles from his thoughts. 'Miles? Miles, what did it say? Am I going to die from hematoma?'

I'd better not say anything. Knowing Phoenix he'd probably believe it.

"Nothing showed up. Listen, maybe you just have the flu and your having an allergic reaction at the same time. Remember when Butz had a cold and accidentally ate some peanut butter?"

Phoenix began to snicker over the phone. Oh yes, he'd never forget something like THAT.

Idly, Miles began to click on some of the websites, wanting to read up on symptoms in the more detail. Miles was horrified to discover that all Phoenix symptoms matched up with those of a pregnant female.

Without warning, the door to Miles' bedroom opened and in stepped Gregory Edgeworth.

"Miles, there's something we need to-"

"ACK!"

This time Miles did drop the phone.

--

Phoenix sat cross legged on his bed, listening curiously to the conversation between Miles and his father. It wasn't like it was ease dropping. He was just waiting for Miles to pick up the phone again.

'Miles, what on earth is wrong with you? And why are you covering the screen like that?'

'It's nothing! Now what do you want?!'

'Miles, you know how I feel about pornography-'

Phoenix raised an eyebrow.

'No! It's not like that!'

'And aren't you still recovering from your fun in the school bathroom? I think the nurse said something about teeth marks-

'OK FATHER, that's enough! God, I was just talking to Phoenix! You just… surprised me that's all.'

'Oh, so it was a little make up phone sex, then? Tell Nick I said hello.'

Phoenix bent over laughing.

--

Miles, read as a tomato grabbed the phone from off the floor and hung up. That bastard of a boyfriend could at least hang up before laughing at him. He glared at father as hoping that if he did it long enough the older man's hair would burst into flames or something.

Gregory just smiled a little and leaned against the bedroom wall. "Oh don't look at me like that Miles. Just humor your poor, lonely father, would you? It's just too easy with you sometimes."

Miles' glare softened slightly. But not too much. He didn't want his father to think he had forgiven him. "Mother would be furious if she found out how much you enjoy teasing me.'

Gregory's smile became nostalgic and his gaze seemed to extend far past his son. "Yes, she would be, wouldn't she? I suppose I should ease up on you then, since she's not here to defend you."

Miles sighed and relaxed in his chair. That had always been his secret weapon. Mentioning the late Mrs. Edgeworth was a surefire way to cease his father's teasing. So, in a way, she still defended Miles. "So, what was it you wanted to talk to me about?" Miles asked, and was rather surprised to see Gregory's smile fade and be replaced by his stern, 'work face' that he usually only used during court.

"Miles, I don't want you to panic." Gregory started. "Because panic has never helped a person think clearly."

Miles nodded silently. He had no idea where his father was going with his, but the look on his face meant it couldn't be good.

"It was on the news this evening, but I called down at the office to confirm it." Gregory looked his son right in the eye.

"Manfred von Karma is coming back to America."


	5. All the Cool Kids Are Doing It!

A/N: Not much to say this time around except a slightly longer chapter and perhaps a hint of plot development.

--

_Get away from my dad!_

_A gunshot… a scream._

_Dad… I can't breathe_

_The rumble of the elevator as it suddenly began working again._

_Another gunshot…_

_But from where?_

--

"Miles. Miles, look at me." Gregory said as he cupped his son's face in his hands, trying to get Miles to make eye contact. "Miles."

The far away look in the teen's gray eyes faded and Miles finally saw Gregory.

Gregory sighed in relief. "Thank God. Miles, you can't keep doing this whenever that subject comes up. It's not healthy to keep reliving that day. I think it's time I find you a therapist to talk with.

"I don't need one!" Miles said sternly and pulled his face away from his father's hands. "Why are they letting that man come back here anyway?! He shot you! He almost killed you!"

"Miles," Gregory started calmly. "They couldn't prove anything. The police never found that second bullet. All they had to go off of was your word-"

"So are you saying I lied?" Miles cut in sharply.

The elder Edgeworth's face became stern. "Miles. We've been through this more times then I can count. I am not calling you a liar. The most basic rule of law in this country is innocent until proven guilty. The key word there is 'proof', something myself and the police lack. I know you or Yanni Yogi didn't shoot me, accident or otherwise. I've been gathering evidence and information on von Karma for years, but it's all worthless without that second bullet."

Miles was silent. He knew there had been a second gunshot and von Karma had been responsible for it. After all, his father had put a stain on that man's precious perfect record. But Miles knew that the truth mattered far more then a perfect record in court. It was something his father was really good at, something Miles wanted to emulate when he became a defense attorney someday.

Gregory placed a hand on Miles' shoulder bringing the teen out of his thoughts. "Miles, von Karma won't return to America for another few months. Until then, I want you to get in the habit of always having another person with you when you're outside. And try not to be outside too much after dark. I know it sounds excessive, but I think it would be for the best. Better safe then sorry, right?"

Miles nodded. He wasn't thrilled with the idea, but the idea of von Karma trying to finish what he had started seven years ago was all too real.

"Don't worry about me, father. Phoenix and I-"

_Phoenix! How could I have forgotten?!_

"Actually, do you think I could borrow the car? I need to pick something at the drug store, and I swear to god if you make a condom joke I will not be held responsible for my actions."

"What about lube?"

"No."

Gregory chuckled and handed Miles the car keys. "Aw, and I had a really good one to. Drive safe, Miles."

Miles merely nodded and headed out the door. Now to get this horrid thought out of his head once and for all.

--

"So… what's this supposed to do?" Phoenix asked, holding the small stick in front of him and examining it as if it were some foreign object.

"It…it's supposed to test the amount of alcohol in your system." Miles replied, trying desperately not to blush. That girl at the counter didn't help one bit. The way she looked at him when he bought not one but two home pregnancy tests, made him want to crawl into a hole and stay there until the four horsemen of apocalypse dragged him out.

Then Miles had shown up at the Wright residence and nearly eight at night asking to see Phoenix. Phoenix father, a tall, burly man, who managed to intimidate Miles every time they came into contact had asked why.

Miles didn't remember the lie he had used to gain entrance to Phoenix's room.

Phoenix was happy to have Miles visit, but also confused. His confusion only grew when Miles had handed him a small stick with a colored end a little screen on the other side.

"My father is going away on business next weekend and you know Buttz will bring alcohol weather we ask him or not. Um… Father threatened to use one of these to see if we've been drinking." Miles said, somehow not able to make eye contact with his boyfriend. This was beyond insane…

Phoenix gave the stick another look over before shrugging. "So you want to try it and see if it works. I guess that's a good idea. Last time my parents caught us drinking I was grounded for so long I thought I'd never see daylight again! So how does it work?"

Miles mumbled something that Phoenix didn't quite catch.

"What did you say?"

"-oeeonit'

"What? I can't here you!"

"You pee on it, Wright!" Miles yelled a little louder then he meant to.

Phoenix started at Miles before starting to laugh. "Wow, I don't think I've ever seen you turn that shade of red before."

At the angry look Phoenix received, the spiky haired teen decided to calm down. "Alright, alright, I'll take it. So, you bought two, right? Do you want to go first or should I?"

Miles nearly choked on his own saliva. "E-excuse me?! Why should I take it?!"

"Because." Phoenix said, matter of factly. "I don't it's fair I'm the only one that pass to piss on a stick. I'm not doing it unless you do it."

Miles was stunned. But what could he do? If Phoenix didn't take the test then this was all for nothing. With a heavy sigh, Miles grabbed the other pregnancy test. (He had long since gotten rid of boxes and any labels that would lead Phoenix to find out what sort of test this was.)

_The things I do for peace of mind…_

--

Miles exited Phoenix's bathroom embarrassed, humiliated, and somewhat emasculated. Phoenix was waiting for him outside with his usual grin.

"Here's mine, Miles."

"Get that away from me!" Miles yelled, shoving Phoenix's arm away. "You urinated on that thing! I'm not about to touch it! Just tell me what it says."

"Ok, um… what's the symbol for being drunk?"

Miles paused to think about that for a moment. He knew for a fact Phoenix hadn't touched one drop of alcohol since he had gotten grounded for the entire summer last year. "It would be a plus sign." Miles finally answered.

"Really? Crap, it says I'm drunk!" Phoenix said, looking down at the pink plus sign.  
"We gotta get rid of these before my parents find this and ground me-Miles? Are you ok? You look really pale…"

Miles Edgeworth was known by most as a person who was calm, cool, and collected. He had been taught from an early age to stay calm under pressure. After all, what kind of lawyer would he be if he couldn't remain calm in a stressful situation?

However, Miles Edgeworth was also a sixteen-year-old boy who had little life experience.

And the last thing he ever expected was tricking his boyfriend of almost four weeks into taking a pregnancy test and having it be _positive_.

_This is a nightmare… it has to be. It's impossible…_

"Let me see that thing!" Miles demanded, snatching the stick away from Phoenix.

"Umm… you just grabbed the end I-"

"Will you just shut up for two seconds?!" Miles shot back, looking down at the most evil, unholy pink plus sign he had ever seen I his entire life.

Phoenix couldn't help but pout. "You don't have to be such an ass Miles. I haven't been drinking, I promise. It's probably broken."

Miles' shoulders slumped and the little stick of doom slipped from the teen's hand and fell to the floor. The panicked anger had drained from his body leaving behind a pile of flesh once known as Miles Edgeworth. "Phoenix." He said in a soft, slow voice. "You can't tell if someone is drunk by their urine. It was pregnancy test."

The silence nearly drove Miles to edge of his sanity. He dared to look at Phoenix who was in the process of turning the same shade of white Miles had reached only a few moments ago.

"So… you mean… you lied to me?"

Had Miles been his usual self, he would have rolled his eyes and let loose a witty retort he had become so skilled at since befriending Phoenix. Instead Miles nodded slowly. "You wouldn't have taken it otherwise… But Phoenix, that's not the point right now."

"It should be." Phoenix replied crossing his arms.

"No, the point it is came out positive." Miles watched his boyfriend's eyes widen as he finally grasped the situation.

"B-But that's… impossible. I'm a man… Men can't get… why would it say something like that?!" Phoenix's voice took a higher tone as panic began to set in.

Seeing Phoenix start to panic caused a new feeling to bubble up within Miles. The teen pushed aside his own growing dread in favor of comforting Phoenix. Wrapping his arms around the other boy and holding him close to his chest, Miles continued, knowing he had to explain his reasoning.

"I don't know. But if you think about it, all of your symptoms make sense. The throwing up, that's morning sickness. The craving for foods that you normally hate is a common symptom. And you know how sensitive your chest is? That's one of the earliest signs. And that blemish on your cheeks has a name: the mask of pregnancy. It all makes sense if you look at it like that." Miles said and sighed. He could feel Phoenix start to tremble. Not that he could blame him. This wasn't exactly something that you expected when you were a gay couple.

"B-but I'm a guy Miles!" Phoenix's voice was shaky. "What if all of that just means something else?! Isn't there another way to tell?"

Miles nodded and began to slowly rub his boyfriend's back, something his father had done for him as a small child. He had always found the gesture very comforting.

"Yes, there are two surefire ways to tell if this is… real or not." Miles wanted to slap himself. It seemed neither of them were capable of saying the word 'pregnant' out loud. "We can go to the doctor and you can take a blood test. We can also take an ultrasound and see once and for all."

Phoenix didn't seem to be comforted all that much. But he nodded at the idea. "Alright… but how are we going to do that? If we use my family's doctor then my parents might figure out that we're going out and oh god, if they find out I'm gay they'll eat me and shit out my bones!"

"…Ok, that was disgusting. Even for you."

"Sorry…" Phoenix muttered, not really caring that much. "But Miles, we can't go to my family doctor…"

"Then we'll go to an open clinic. Just bring some money with you. I'll bring some as well and pay for half of it. Then just tell the doctor you want a blood test because you've become sexually active. Doctors do that all the time. I think I'll bring my father along as well. He already knows about us and if… it turns out you really are… you know… I think he can help us."

Phoenix nodded and began to relax a little in Miles' embrace. "I guess we could do that. But would your dad really help us like that?"

Miles smiled a little. "Yeah, he can be a pain in the ass, not to mention embarrassing as hell, but he gets the job done."

Phoenix returned the smile. He felt a little better knowing they had a plan. It was probably nothing anyway, just a side effect of whatever he was sick with. It was entirely possible he had a new kind of sickness or something weird like that. Besides, he was man, there was no physical way to put the proverbial bun in the oven… he shouldn't even _have_ an oven!


	6. Do I Get a Spiderman Bandaid?

AN: Not too much to say again. Next chapter will out sometime tomorrow once I'm done rewriting it.

* * *

"Oh, would you cut it out?! Your acting like such a child!"

Phoenix sniffled and stared at the band-aid on his arm. "B-But it hurt… and that needle was huge!"

"I have no sympathy for you…" Miles replied curtly and returned his old three-month-old magazine.

"Oh come now, Miles." Gregory protested. "Don't you think it's time you forgave Nick already? I'm sure the bite marks should be gone right now."

Miles stopped pretending to read his magazine and glared at his father. "I don't see how that's any of your business. And stop laughing about it!" He demanded, noticing his father's poorly hidden snicker. "You're supposed to lecture me about not doing those kind of things, not grinning like a lunatic and making some asinine comment."

Gregory didn't even try to hold back an amused chuckle. "But you just make it so easy. And you have to admit it was pretty funny. What a way to come out of the closet!"

"Hysterical…" Miles grumbled and turned his attention back to the magazine.

Phoenix fidgeted nervously, causing the thin paper beneath him to crinkle each time he moved. How long was this going to take? Phoenix didn't know if he could take the waiting.

Gregory seemed to notice Phoenix's nervousness and smiled comfortingly. "Nick, there's no need to be nervous. They're just looking for anything unusual, like an STD. You're doing the smart thing; getting yourself checked out once you become sexually active is great. I'm glad you and Miles decided to do this."

Miles took in a deep breath. Ok, moment of truth. "Um… actually they might find something a _little_ unusual."

Oh shit! Parental glare of death!

"Miles… what exactly are you trying to tell me?" Gregory's voice was slow and promised very unpleasant things should this turn out to be something bad.

Miles hesitated only for a moment before he finally said it, 'p' word and all. "Dad, I think Phoenix might be pregnant."

A moment of silence.

Another moment of silence.

Then another…

And then…

"Miles, son, I love you with all my heart but your sense of humor is a little… disturbing. Did you say Phoenix was _pregnant_?"

Miles looked at his father with the most serious face he could manage. "I'm not joking!" The teen began to list off all of the symptoms Phoenix has experienced. By the time Miles had gotten to the part about the pregnancy test, his hands were practically shaking.

Gregory couldn't believe what he was hearing. Perhaps this whole thing with von Karma has finally pushed his poor son over the edge of his sanity. The older man glanced over at Phoenix who looked wore the same confused, terrified expression as his son.

Before Gregory could answer, the door opened and the doctor entered the little room with a clipboard in her right hand. She looked through the papers before laughing to herself. "I'm sorry, Mr. Wright, I think there was a mix up at the lab. It looks like your blood sample was mixed up with one of our pregnant woman. If you give me a moment I'll go get the right-"

"That won't be necessary ma'am." Gregory interrupted, keeping his voice steady despite his now pale complexion. "Nick, Miles, we're leaving. Thank you for your help doctor."

--

Miles and Phoenix sat in the back of the car silent as the grave as Gregory drove the two far past the city and towards the coast. Miles didn't dare ask where they were going. Instead Miles had turned most of his attention to Phoenix who looked like he was about to either be sick or burst into tears… or both.

"…They might have really gotten them mixed up." Miles whispered, trying to be helpful. But it far too much to just be a coincidence. Still… how could something like this happen? The grey haired sighed and rested his head on Phoenix's shoulder. Maybe he should have let Phoenix be on top after all… Shutting his eyes, Miles vaguely heard the faint sound of his father dialing on his cell phone as he fell asleep.

"Hello? Yes, this is Gregory Edgeworth. I'm fine, thank you.'

'… '

'Actually, I'm one your way to your home right now.'

'… '

I think it's time I call in that favor.'

'… '

No it's not me.'

'… '

it's a rather long, unusual story. Think you're up for it? And remember, secrecy is of the utmost importance. '

--

It was another hour before Miles Edgeworth opened his eyes. He also realized someone had been shaking his shoulder.

"Miles… Miles!"

The grey haired teen looked up only to see Phoenix's worried and…slightly green face.

_Oh shit!_

"Father, stop the car!" Miles shouted, sitting up as quickly as he could.

"I did. We're here, but you fell asleep on Nick and we couldn't get you wake up. You really sleep like a rock, don't you?"

Phoenix took his opportunity to unbuckle his seatbelt, scramble out of the car, and sprint to the nearest bush to empty his stomach.

Miles frowned and looked around at his new surroundings. From what he could tell, they were on a cliff overlooking the ocean. At the edge of the cliff sat a rather large, wooden house. Miles wondered just how safe it was for a house that big to be so close to the edge of a cliff. Where had his father taken them?

The teen stepped out of the car and tried to tune out the sounds of his boyfriend vomiting a few feet away. "Father… what is this place?"

Gregory climbed out of the car and started to walk over to the house. "An old client of mine who owes me a favor. He said he could help you and Phoenix and keep quiet about it. Normally he charges a large amount of money, but since he owes me, he won't charge us a dime."

Miles didn't feel at all comforted by that. "Well… who is he? What does he do?"

When Gregory didn't answer, Miles began to feel sick with nervousness.

Before the father and son even reached the door, it flung open and a little girl stood on the other side with a wide grin on her face. Miles couldn't help but stare. She was so small, probably no older then five.

"You must be the man the Doc was talkin' with! I'll get 'em for you!" The bubbly little girl ran off yelling at the top of her lungs.

Miles glanced over at Gregory. "So… you took us to a doctor? What was wrong with the one we took Phoenix to?"

Gregory kept his eyes forward. "Because, if Nick really is pregnant, then it'll be the biggest media circus you've ever seen in your life. And Nick will be right in the middle of it. You and Nick have come choices to make, and I'd prefer if you two made it on your own, without pressure from anyone else."

Before Miles could ask what Gregory meant by 'choices', the most unusual man Miles had ever seen appeared at the door. The man was dressed from head to toe in black. He looked more like a coroner then a doctor. The only color Miles could see what the right half of his hair, which was white as a sheet.

But it wasn't the clothes or the hair that stood out most to Miles. It was the long scar that divided the man's face in half, each half was a different skin tone.

Gregory put on his business smile and shook hands with the strange man. "It's a pleasure to meet you again, Dr. Black Jack. Thank you for seeing him on such short notice."

The man known as Black Jack nodded. "It's no trouble. Now, I believe the one vomiting in the bushes is the patient?"

--

"Phoenix, quiet staring." Miles hissed under his breath.

The spiky haired in question sat on top of the examination table, blue eyes wide as saucers. "I can't help it…" He whispered back. "He looks like that creepy doll from the horror movies. And what kind of name is Black Jack?"

"It's an alias, idiot." Miles didn't know how much more of this he could take. Between Phoenix and this rather intimidating doctor, Miles was positive he was well on the road to a nervous breakdown. For now, Miles let his father do most of the talking.

Black Jack, listened to the tale silently, nodding where appropriate. "I see. I'll need to perform some tests on my own. Typically most doctors won't even bother until the patient is at least six weeks along. But I believe that this is cause for an exception. Now, if you would kindly wait out in the living room, I'll have Pinoko bring you something to drink in the meantime."

Gregory nodded and led his son out of the examination room. "Come on, Nick will be fine I promise."

Neither Phoenix nor Miles were convinced in the least.

Miles sat on the sofa his hands resting on his knees. This was insane! "Father, who is this person? There's something about that guy that… doesn't feel right. And did you see all of the medical equipment he has? What sort of doctor has all of that in his house?"

Gregory shifted in his seat and looked at Miles for the time since the drive to this strange place. "I suppose if you want to get technical, he isn't an official doctor. He doesn't have a medical license."

"What?! Father have you lost your mind?! We just left Phoenix alone with that guy! God only knows what he'll do!" Miles stood up immediately and hurried over to the door between Phoenix and himself only to feel a sharp tug on his pant leg.

"Hey! I'll have you know Black Jack is the best doctor in the world! You should be grateful he's not charging you!"

Miles looked down to see the little girl that had greeted them earlier. "If he's so good, then why doesn't he have a medical license?" Miles shot back.

"Miles, come sit down." Gregory said sternly. "Black Jack is one of the best doctors in the world. I've seen it myself actually."

Miles frowned but slowly returned to his spot on the couch. The little girl followed him and took a seat as well.

Gregory smiled a little as he remembered the events that took place two years ago. "He was accused of malpractice and operating without a license. I got him off, yes, but the true miracle happened when one of the witnesses collapsed in the courtroom. Black Jack preformed an emergency operation that saved his life right there. I trust him, Miles, and so should you."

The little girl didn't seem surprised in the least. "That's Black Jack for you! A lot of people don't like him because he charges a lot of money, but sometimes he doesn't even charge anything!"

Miles looked over at the small child curiously. "And just how old are you anyway? I don't think I've even seen a five year old with your kind of attitude."

The little girl puffed up like an angry bird. "I'll have you know I'm eighteen and older then you are! I'm also Black Jack's wife, so there!"

"W-what?! Are you crazy?! There's no way!"

"Is to!"

"No way! Little girls shouldn't lie!"

"And boys shouldn't be stupid!"

Gregory sighed inwardly and stared out the window_. So… this is what it would have been like if Miles had a younger sibling… Thank you Malinda for deciding one was enough because I don't think I could have afforded all of those headache pills_.


	7. I Get those Words Mixed up all the Time

AN: Sorry that took a little longer then I thought. Wasn't feeling too hot so I took a few days off. Now back to the story!

WARNING: Absolute CRAPTASTIC use of medical terms and all that jargon.

It was an hour and a half before the door to examination room opened. After arguing with the little girl now known as Pinoko for almost the entire time, he was more then content to glare at the annoying child whom returned the angry stare with one of her own. However, once the sound of the door opening reached Miles' ears, the grey haired teen seemed to forget about Pinoko entirely.

"Is… Is he ok?" Miles asked, trying to look past Black Jack's shoulder to catch a glimpse of Phoenix.

Black Jack just nodded and stepped aside, allowing Miles to enter. "Physically, he is fine. But his emotional state is another matter entirely. He is a bit of a shock, not that I can blame him. I have seen many unusual, borderline supernatural cases in my career, but I can honestly say I have never seen anything like this."

Gregory stood up then, and looked at the doctor with a surprisingly calm expression. "So you mean he really is pregnant, then?"

Black Jack nodded. "Yes. I could hardly believe it myself, but all of my tests confirmed it.

Gregory nodded and peaked into the examination room. Phoenix had managed to curl up into a tight ball on the examination table and Miles was trying to coax him out of it.

"You weren't kidding about the shock thing. He didn't take it too well, then?

"No. But that is to be expected. Not only is he sixteen, but male. I don't know of any teenage who would take it well." Black Jack replied. "Now, if you would come into the examination room with me, we can discuss your options.

--

"What the fuck do we do now, Miles?!" Phoenix cried, as Miles finally pulled him out of his self made ball.

"I don't know… but curling up in a ball and crying isn't going to help." Miles answered as calmly as he was able. Inside though, Miles wanted nothing more then to take a seat next to Phoenix and curl up as well.

"We can't tell my parents about this! They don't even know I'm gay!" Phoenix grabbed onto Miles' shirt and held onto it for dear life. "They'll kill me, Miles! I know they will!"

"Phoenix, they're not going to kill you, and you know it."

"Yes they will!" Phoenix wailed. "Not only is their only son gay but he's a freak of nature as well!"

"Nick, you are not a freak of nature." A calm voice from the entrance of the examination room replied. "If you don't believe me, come to courtroom sometime."

Phoenix sniffled but didn't answer Gregory. He did, however, let go of Miles' shirt. The last thing he wanted was for Miles to get angry with him for ripping his clothing.

Miles sighed and took hold of his boyfriend's hand. _There's no way we can deny it anymore… There are plenty of couples that go through this everyday! Albeit heterosexual couples… still… that doesn't mean we can't deal with this as good as them! And as soon as I stop feeling like I'm going to pass out I'll let Phoenix know to!_

A sudden squeeze to the teen's hand brought him out of his thoughts. Phoenix looked up at Miles and smiled through his tears. "Your going on a mental rant again Miles. You don't wanna miss what the doc has to say do you?"

Miles smiled nervously and returned the squeeze. They would get through this… Miles would make sure of it.

Or he could have complete and total mental meltdown. And it wasn't like there many support groups for "Teens with Pregnant Boyfriends" around the area.

Black Jack cleared his throat and picked up the notes he had written from Phoenix's examination. "Now, according to the information Mister Wright provided, he is about five weeks along and experiencing all of the symptoms of a normal, healthy, pregnancy. As to how the pregnancy was even possible, I discovered the reason during a rectal examination."

Phoenix squirmed nervously. That was something he would like to block out of his memories for the rest of his natural life.

"During the examination, I discovered something unusual. It was a covering for a passage no wider then a human thumb. Upon further examination, I came to conclusion that the second passage was a cervix, which led to fully functioning female reproductive organs. It is my theory that the passage opens up on its own upon sexual stimulation. This is quite the discovery you realize."

The room was unbearably silent after that. Phoenix, who had heard the explanation before, broke the silence.

"See? I told you I'm a freak of nature-ow! Hey!" Phoenix yelled as he rubbed the back of his head and glared at Gregory who didn't look the least bit sorry.

"Quit calling yourself that. Now, what do you two intend to do about it?" Gregory asked, crossing his arms.

Miles frowned and looked back over at Black Jack. "…What are our options?" He asked hesitantly. He wasn't sure he really wanted to know. But what choice did they have?

Black Jack turned his stern gaze on the two teens. "You have two, like any other would-be parents. You can carry the child to term. I don't know how safe it would be since having the child naturally would more then likely cause Mister Wright to bleed to death. But that can be solved with a caesarian section. Or you can choose to get rid of the pregnancy. Then your life would go back to normal as it was before. Though I can't guarantee your mental health afterward."

Miles looked at Phoenix who was now stared at his stomach, deep in thought. "Miles…" He whispered in a broken voice that didn't quite belong to him. "…what should I do?"

Miles sighed and looked over at Phoenix. "Phoenix, I can't just make the choice for both of us. It's your body anyway, you should decided what you want to happen to it." He replied. Honestly, he had no idea what would be best. First and foremost his thoughts were of Phoenix's safety. As long as Phoenix wasn't at risk then he'd be comfortable with whatever the other boy decided to do and Miles decided to tell Phoenix just that. "I'm going to support what whatever choice you make." He said with a comforting smile. Yes, he was completely fine with whatever Phoenix decided to do.

Phoenix stared at Miles, his bright blue eyes, shining with tears. "Miles… I-It's not fair for this baby to be put through this…"

…Or maybe not.

--

"_Come on, Miles! Just for a few days!"_

"_No, I'm allergic and you know it."_

_A ten year old Phoenix stood at Miles Edgeworth's door holding a squirming kitten in his arms trying his best not to let the tear at the edges of his eyes fall._

"_B-But I can't take him back to the shelter! They're gonna put him to sleep!"_

_Miles sighed and looked at the little, mewling orange kitten. "…Maybe it's for the best. Sometimes it's the merciful thing to do."_

_The spiky haired child shook his head frantically. "No! It's not Ninja's fault his mother abandoned him!"_

"… _you named it Ninja?"_

"_Miles!" Phoenix wailed. "He can't even defend himself! He shouldn't have to die because no one picked him out yet! It's not fair! Please Miles! If you can't take care of him at least help me find someone who can!"_

_The grey haired child looked at his best friend, who was about to burst into tears and knew there was no way he could say no. Those stupid blue eyes always made his stomach do flip flops whenever Phoenix looked at him like that._

_And just how much money did you spend to buy that thing from the shelter?"_

"…_Fifty dollars. But that's ok. I didn't need that video game anyway."_

"_Fine… Maybe Butz needs a pet. Just keep… Ninja away from me, alright?"_

_Phoenix wide blue eyes lit up, causing Miles' stomach to start practicing its back flips. "Thank you Miles! I know we'll find Ninja a really good home! I'm sure somebody wants him!_

--

Miles felt his stomach turn to ice at Phoenix's words. Of all of the choices Phoenix would make he hadn't expected that one. But Miles knew he had to keep his promise and forced an encouraging smile back on his face. "…It's… your choice Phoenix. And I… can understand why."

Phoenix nodded and sniffled, the tears that had threatened to fall now overflowing. "Y-yeah… I mean, what kind of parents would we make anyway?"

"Yeah… parents…"

"Besides, there are plenty of people out there who would take the baby no matter where it came from."

"I supp-… wait… Phoenix what are you talking about?" Miles asked, feeling rather confused. He looked at the spiky haired teen, not bothering to hide his bewilderment.

Phoenix stared right back at Miles with the same expression, though a little more wet. "What do you mean? I was talking about the baby. We can't keep it, it wouldn't be fair for him to be put through us trying to be his parents so we should give him to someone else and go on with our lives like Dr. Black Jack said. What were you thinking about?"

Miles was astonished. Adoption… He had been talking about _adoption_. Then he laughed. It started out as a small chuckle but it soon turned into full-blown laughter. The teen wrapped his arms around Phoenix for a tight embrace, burying his face in the other's chest.

"Ow, Miles! My chest!"

"God, Phoenix, I never thought I'd be this grateful for your idiocy. Yes, we should give this child to someone ready to be parents."

"Yes that's what I was saying, now let me go, your hurting me!"

Miles hesitantly let go of Phoenix and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes. A large, relieved smile was now firmly planted on his face. I should have known. He doesn't have it in him to do something like that. He couldn't even set up mousetraps in the attic.

From his place in the examination room, Gregory watched the two teens drift off into their own world. The older man sighed and pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. What a day… And the worst was yet to come. Explaining this entire situation to Mr. and Mrs. Wright was going to be quite a challenge.

--

"Phoenix, don't read in the car, you'll get carsick."

Phoenix looked up from the list he had been reading and took another sip of his ginger ale. "Not with this stuff!" He replied with a grin. "The Doc said this should pretty much take care of my nausea without medication."

Miles frowned and grabbed the paper from Phoenix's hands ignoring his cry of protest. "So it says your due in the summer. That should work for you since it'd would look at little strange if you went from being fat and then going back to normal weight in one day."

"Well, thank you Mr. Sensitive." Phoenix said with a pout. "You're supposed to say 'it's the baby, not fat'. Jerk."

The grey haired teen just sighed and handed the paper back to Phoenix. "Oh yes, I can just imagine saying that to everyone back at school. 'Oh no, Phoenix isn't fat, he's pregnant. What? Protection? Oh no, I didn't realize my boyfriend was ovulating at the time.' Yeah, that would go over really well, idiot."

"Miles." Gregory interjected from the front of the car. "I know this is a bit stressful, but that's no reason to take it out on Phoenix. You two are in this for the long haul. Nine months is a long time. And if you piss Phoenix off too much I have a feeling you'll be sleeping on the couch for most of that time. Metaphorically speaking of course."

"Father! That's what got in this mess in the first place! Why the hell are you _encouraging_ it?!"

There was a chuckle from the front of the car. "Because I doubt that you'll ever get a chance for some pregnant sex ever again. I remember when your mother was about six months-"

"OK, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Miles shouted loud enough to drown out whatever horrible detail his father was about burn into his mind. "NO MORE! Talk about something else, anything else! Make a stupid condom joke or something, I don't care just… don't finish that sentence, please!"

Next to Miles, Phoenix had both hands clasped over his mouth to hold in an outburst of laughter. He was one of the few people out there that enjoyed Gregory Edgeworth's sense of humor despite knowing how much it irritated Miles. Whether it irritated or entertained, for now it distracted the two young teens from their current stresses and coming hardships.


	8. Maybe I'll Just Have to Saw my Leg Off

A/N: 1000 hits, huh? That's pretty sweet! Anyway, sorry for the short chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to throw up the next chapter sometime tomorrow.

On with the fun!

---

_October 15, 2008_

_Phoenix is five and a half weeks along._

_I can't believe father put me up to this. He just dropped this stupid journal in front of me and told me to start writing. He says I can put all of my thoughts on paper without having to bottle them inside of me and not have to worry about anyone else seeing them. Apparently my mother had several of these journals filled before she died._

_I can't say I'm happy with the current situation. I am the boyfriend of the first pregnant male. And to be perfectly honest it scares the hell out of me. Phoenix is sleeping on my bed at moment. Father said he could spend the night and tomorrow we'll tell his parents about all of this. Then there's the school. Doctor Black Jack wrote a note excusing Phoenix from PE for the rest of the year. Lucky bastard. _

_Even though the school thing is taken care of, I can't help but feel uneasy. I've been doing research on pregnancy and there are so many things that can go wrong, even for a healthy female. If something happens to Phoenix I don't know what I would do with myself. That spiky haired idiot wormed his way into my life and I'll be dammed if I let something like this take him away from me. I can only hope that we can both get through this quickly and painlessly and go back to our normal lives._

--

Miles remembered a watching the horror movie "Saw" with Phoenix last Halloween. It was a gruesome movie that consisted of different people being put into torture traps that they had to escape from if they wanted to live. One in particular worked like a reverse bear trap and when it snapped open, off went your jaw.

At this moment, Miles would have gladly put the trap on himself if only to get away from the two adults currently sitting across from him.

Phoenix sat next to Miles on one side of the sofa and Gregory sat on the other. The teen was grateful that his father had agreed to come and help talk to the Wrights, because right now, the term 'epic failure' didn't even begin to cover how badly Miles was doing at explaining the situation.

"Well, you see, the reason we needed to talk to you was because… well… I honestly didn't know that something like this would happen…" Miles sighed and stared down at the blue plush carpet beneath his feet. He couldn't do this. Phoenix's mom, Cathy, wasn't the real issue, she had always been a kind woman, but she tended to let people walk all over her. It was Phoenix father, Derrick Wright that scared Miles out of his mind sometimes. The man was tall, well muscled, and didn't like Miles one bit. And it was defiantly showing now.

"Well, out with it boy." He grumbled, obviously impatient. "Some of us have things to do."

"If I may," Gregory replied curtly. "I believe I can explain the situation a little better since you have intimidated my son into silence." Behind his glasses, a glare aimed straight at Derrick Wright was hidden.

"It seems our sons have grown quite close with each other. Very close, if you follow."

The tense silence that followed was like nothing that neither Phoenix nor Miles had ever known. But the thunderous crash of the coffee table being turned over as Derrick Wright stood up was more then enough to end it.

"Nick!" Derrick bellowed in his son's direction. The teen in question winced and joined Miles in inspecting the blue carpet. He had suspected his dad would have a reaction like this, but it didn't make it any less frightening. "I'm… I'm sorry dad…" Phoenix replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "I-It just happened… it felt…"

Derrick didn't let Phoenix finish. Instead, he grabbed the boy's face and forced Phoenix to look him in the eye. "I knew I shouldn't have let you associate with that boy. I knew he was a queer from the start!"

This time, Gregory and Cathy stood up. "Derrick!" Cathy cried and moved over to Phoenix and knelt down next to her son.

Gregory looked on silently. Silently he counted to ten and unclenched his fists. "Mister Wright, it would be in your best interest not to insult my son." _Because if I hear one more thing about either of those boys I don't think counting to ten will stop me._

Derrick let go of Phoenix's face, allowing her to touch her frightened son's face. "Feenie, look at me, please. Listen, I know your young. You're bound to go through a few phases. This one will pass like all the others. Hopefully… this one will end sooner rather then later."

Phoenix felt a sudden burst of anger. A phase?! How could she say something like that? "Mom, this isn't a phase! And I don't want it to end. It can't because… because…"

"Because he's pregnant."

Both Cathy and Derrick Wright stared at Miles who looked at both of them when a stern glare. There was only so much he could stand watching Phoenix's own parents tear the boy down and not do anything about it. "Phoenix is pregnant. I don't care if you believe me or not!" For a moment, Miles felt a smug when he saw the look of shock of Derrick's face.

"B-but… how?" Cathy whispered, almost to herself. "The doctors said it wasn't fully functional…"

Phoenix's eyes widened drastically. "You… you guys _knew_ I had… girly organs?!"

Derrick grunted in acknowledgement. "I wanted them to be removed the moment I found out. But your mother said you should decide when you turned eighteen. Fat lot of good that did us. The doctors said it wouldn't matter because they didn't work and that you could grow up as normal boy and find a nice girl to settle down with. How hard does that sound? Not hard at all! But it seems like you couldn't even manage that much. Now we have to clean up your mess. I'm making an appointment with those dammed doctors and have them take that shit out of you once and for all."

Both Miles and Phoenix gasped. "But the baby is still in there!" The spiky haired teen protested. "I'm not killing it! He didn't do anything wrong!"

Derrick shot his son a look that made Phoenix's blood run cold. "It's not a baby. It's a god-dammed abomination. Your getting rid of if you want to keep living in this house."

"Derrick, please." Cathy pleaded. "You're being too harsh…"

Phoenix began trembling. He could feel the hot sting of tears at t he corners of his eyes. Why did it have to be like this? Phoenix knew in his heart that giving this baby a chance at life was the right thing to do. So why did it hurt so much?

Suddenly, Phoenix felt the warmth of another's hand on his own. The teen turned to Miles, who was now smiling. "Well," He said with an overly dramatic sigh. "I guess that means your just going to _have_ to stay with us. You couldn't kill anything if your life depended on it."

Phoenix stared at the gray haired teen. "M-Miles… are you serious?" Miles replied with gentle squeeze of the other boy's hand. "Oh come on. I'm not about to let you become a hobo over all of this."

For the first time that day, Phoenix felt himself smiling. Feeling empowered, he stood up and looked his father in the eye. "I guess I'll see you in nine months, dad."

The next twenty minutes were a blur for Phoenix and Miles. It mostly consisted of Derrick Wright yelling at the top of his lungs that he had no son and other various, unmentionable names to his child. Finally, the angry man stormed out of the living and into his study, slamming the door so hard the entire house rattled.

Gregory stood next to Cathy Wright as Phoenix and Miles packed up Phoenix's possessions and anything the boy might need.

Cathy forced a little smile as she faced Gregory. "I can't believe you agreed to take in Feenie for nine whole months, Mr. Edgeworth. You are quite brave."

Gregory didn't smile back. He just kept his eyes on the stairs, waiting for the boys to come back down. "Bravery has nothing to do with it. It's part of being a parent. Nick isn't my son, but as close as those boys have been for all these years he might as well. And until those adoption papers are signed, that child inside him is my grandchild. I do not indeed to abandon either of them."

Cathy's smile faded and the weariness of the day's events finally seemed to catch up her. "You don't understand. Derrick is upset, but he's just thinking of Phoenix's best interest."

The door closest to the stairs suddenly opened and Phoenix and Miles stepped out, each carrying a large suitcase. "Keep telling yourself that, Cathy." Gregory muttered under his breath before approaching the boys with a smile. "You two ready? Didn't forget anything did you?"

Miles nearly groaned. "Forget anything? He managed to fit half of his room in these things! Let's go before my back breaks."

As the three departed, Phoenix took on last look at his mother. He was going to miss her while he was gone, but the spiky haired teen was comforted in the knowledge he was doing the right thing.

"Bye mom."

And then they were gone.


	9. The Blue Ones are the Best

Miles sighed in relief when he dropped the heavy red suitcase in his room. The teen took a good look around his room and fought back another sigh. _Take a good, long look at your nice, clean room, Miles. Because a week from now the carpet will be just a memory and this place will reek of turpentine._

Phoenix entered the bedroom shortly after Miles and set his suitcase down by the bed. "Damn that thing's heavy. Hey, I thought I'm not supposed to be lifting heavy objects. You're the father, you should be doing the heavy lifting!" Miles rolled his eyes. "For god's sake, it's not going to kill you to haul up all of your canvases and sketchbooks." Miles replied. "Besides, as far as physical strength goes, you're stronger then I am."

Phoenix grinned and flopped down on the bed. "Yeah, I guess so. But that's gonna change soon. I'm gonna blow up like a balloon. That part is gonna suck." A sigh left the teen's lips as he lifted up his shirt to examine his currently flat stomach. "Goodbye sexy stomach, hello future beach ball."

Miles sat next to Phoenix on the bed and looked down at his boyfriend's stomach and tried to picture it nine months from now. It was difficult to visualize. Silently, the grey haired teen placed his hand on Phoenix's stomach and gave it a gentle pat. "Don't worry, I'll make sure this idiot takes good care of you." He said to the growing infant inside the other boy. "Don't want you coming out with one eye or an extra foot or something."

Phoenix glared at Miles and crossed his arms. "Hey! I'm gonna take good care of him! And that kind of stuff can't happen anyway… can it?

"…"

"Miles?"

"…"

"Miles!"

"If I told you it was a possibility would you freak out like the paranoid moron you are?"

"No!"

"…Then yes. Some children are born with deformities."

"Oh, ok… Miles?"

"Yes?"

"Was your house secretly built on top of a nuclear dumping ground?"

Miles answered by throwing a pillow at Phoenix's face. "No. Now stop being paranoid and take a nap or something."

"Miles, Nick?" Came a voice from the door. Miles looked over to see Gregory standing at the doorway. "Will you two be alright for a little while? I'm going to visit your mother."

Miles nodded. "Yeah, we're sixteen, not ten. I think we can manage to stay away from the stove."

Gregory just smiled a little. "Alright. I'll see you later." When Gregory had left, Phoenix turned to Miles with a curious look on his face. "Did he say visit your mom? But isn't she… you know…"

"Dead." Miles finished. "Yes, but when father gets stressed, he usually goes to my mother's grave to talk with her. I don't blame him for going now. This whole thing is probably really stressful for him. Sometimes I think father should find himself a girlfriend or something. But every time I mention it, he tells me he's perfectly happy and that he had far too much emotional baggage for one woman to handle."

Phoenix sighed and looked back down at his stomach. "I guess you're right about that. But it's not like we're that much different. This isn't exactly going to be a walk in the park."

Suddenly, Miles leaned over and pressed his lips against Phoenix's. It had been far too long since he had felt those soft lips against his. He needed a distraction, they both did.

The spiky haired teen happily responded to the first intimate contact since the incident in the school bathroom. Wrapping his arms around Miles shoulders, Phoenix straddled his boyfriend's lap.

Phoenix reluctantly broke the kiss and looked at Miles with an impish grin. "Does this mean we can have preg-Umff!" Phoenix let out an indignant, muffled cry as Miles cut him off with another kiss.

He wasn't about to let Phoenix's big mouth (which was staying above the belt, by the way) ruin the moment.

--

Elsewhere, at the city cemetery, Gregory Edgeworth walked the familiar path towards his wife's gravesite. It wasn't anything too special, but it gave Gregory great comfort when he finally spotted the headstone marked 'Malinda Edgeworth."

"Sorry I didn't bring you any flowers today. It's been... a hell of a week." Gregory began, sitting down next to the headstone. "I guess you could say we're going to be grandparents. Remember Nick? Miles' friend since they were nine. Turns out Miles knocked him up. I know it's hard to believe but just go with me on this."

Gregory laughed a bit to himself and adjusted his glasses. "Nick is staying with us until its born since his parents… well… chose not to deal with it. I think the boys are doing well all things considered. They're giving the baby up for adoption. It's almost a shame really, but I guess that's the grandparent in me talking."

'But I wish that was the only issue I had to deal with. Manfred von Karma is coming back to America. When I heard it I could have sworn my right side where he shot me felt like it was on fire. I had to take painkillers for it for the first time in years. I know he shot me, Malinda. But I don't have enough evidence. If I could just find that second bullet then maybe I could make a case for it. I have a suspicion of where it may be, but in order to find it, I need to come into contact with von Karma. I don't want to, but it might be the only choice I have. Until then, I'm going to have to work overtime to keep Miles and Nick safe. If von Karma knew about Nick, pardon my French Malinda, but we'd be seriously fucked."

--

_January 27th, 2009_

_Phoenix is four months along._

_I honestly thought Phoenix being pregnant would be a little more dramatic then this. But that just shows what I know. His stomach is softening up and there is more a curve there then there was last week. Thankfully, he can still fit into his jeans, but father so kindly mentioned that it was only a matter of time. As a result, Phoenix locked himself in the bathroom an hour wailing about how after he got fat and had the baby he'd never fit in his clothes again._

_Sometimes father can be the stupidest smart person I've ever met._

_Either that, or he's very mean._

_School has been going fairly well. I just learned from my counselor that if I might have enough units to graduate a year early, which is what I've been aiming for. Once I've graduated, I'll start studying law officially. My goal is to become a defense attorney by the time I turn twenty. Still, its hard to be excited whenever thoughts of that child enter my mind. My only comfort is that in five months from now, everything will go back to the way it is supposed to be. I can study law and Phoenix can go to that art school he has been talking about since eighth grade._

_We're about to head out of the city to see Dr. Black Jack again. This time, he wants to give Phoenix an ultrasound to check its progress. Though I am reluctant to admit it, I'm an curious to see this thing for myself. Phoenix is far too excided about it. It's making worry about how he'll react when we finally give it away._

--

"Ah! That's cold!" Phoenix yelped as the gooey, freezing liquid was spread all over his stomach.

Black Jack chuckled to himself as he slowly moved the transducer down by Phoenix's hips. The doctor stared at the screen for a few moments. "Hmm... ah, here it is." He said at last.

Both Miles and Phoenix's eyes were now glued to the screen. "Where?! I can't see anything but static!" Phoenix whined and stared harder, like one of those stupid hidden pictures all over the mall.

Miles turned his head to the side, trying to make out what was supposed to be the baby.

Thankfully, Black Jack began pointing to lower half of the screen to help out the two teens. "It's right here. It's developing normally, which is quite a surprise considering the unusual circumstances. There's the head on this side and if you look closely, you can see the heart beating…"

Whatever else the doctor had to say, became nothing more then a distant sound when Phoenix finally found the unborn child in the mist of all of the static. The teen was completely captivated. He had listened to its heartbeat on the last visit, but this… this was first time, Phoenix had actually seen this child that was supposedly growing inside of him. It was so small, but it was there, moving around and everything. His baby. His and Miles' baby.

It was the most amazing thing he had ever seen.

--

Miles sighed as Phoenix grabbed yet another box of twinkies. Finally, the grey haired teen couldn't take it anymore and grabbed all three of the boxes and put them back on the shelf. They had stopped at this stupid convenience store for a bathroom break and something to drink, not death wrapped in a yellow bun.

"You shouldn't eat this crap, Phoenix." Miles said. "It isn't good for you."

Phoenix stared at the box of treats longingly. "Miles… I want to keep it."

Miles frowned and placed his hands on his hips. "How many times do we have to go through this? Craving sweets doesn't mean it's good for you or that child. Just because we're giving it to someone else doesn't mean it shouldn't be healthy."

"No… not the twinkes, Miles."

Miles sighed in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. "Then what is it, Phoenix?!"

Phoenix kept staring at the box, before finally speaking in a voice so quiet, Miles had to lean in to hear.

"The baby, Miles. I want to keep the baby."

--

On the other side of the store, Gregory Edgeworth stood in line with two slurpies. It had been a while since he had been able to enjoy the icy treat and since Nick had been all but drooling at the sight of the slurpie machine, he figured one little treat wouldn't hurt. That is, if Miles would stop being so anal. Gregory loved his son to death, but there were times when he wished the boy wouldn't act so much like his mother. Malinda had been so paranoid about everything that passed her lips when she had been pregnant with Miles it nearly drove Gregory insane. He remembered one incident in particular when he had brought home some potato chips for himself only to be yelled at for about twenty minutes about bringing 'temptation' into the house.

"If our child comes out deformed or fat, I'm putting the entire blame on you!" Was what she had said. And Gregory knew they she probably would have done it to. _I never should have married a prosecutor._

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!"

Gregory knew without looking just who that particular shriek had come from, but it was still rather unusual to hear Miles shout like that, let alone in that particular tone. With a sigh, the defense attorney stepped out of line and walked to the back of the store towards the two teens who looked ready to kill each other.

"What's your problem?!" Phoenix shouted back. "You said your support me no matter what!"

Miles crossed his arms and glared at the spiky haired teen in front. "I was talking about whether or not you chose to abort it or not. I knew that if you decided to keep it we'd have to give it away. It's not sensible Phoenix, and you know it."

Phoenix opened his mouth to reply, but a hand on his shoulder silenced him. "People are starting to stare. Go an have your lover's spat in the car…actually," Gregory added. "Both of you shut up until we get home. I don't want to listen to your arguing for an hour. Now get in the car, we're going home."


	10. A Little Imagination Goes a Long Way

A/N: Well this took a little longer then normal. Sorry about that. It's been a little crazy 'round here and this chapter needed a bit more tweaking then I thought. Anyway, here it is, hope you all enjoy it! I would also like to apologise for any grammatical errors in advance, thanks!

---

The car ride home was completely silent. Both teens sat as far away from each other as possible, staring out their respective windows, each caught up in their own thoughts. Once the car pulled into the drive way an hour and a half later, Phoenix and Miles hurried up to their shared room.

"Miles," Phoenix started as he shut the door. "I don't see why you're so upset about me wanting to keep the baby. Why can't we take care of it?"

Miles sat on the edge of his bed and glared at Phoenix as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Shall I make a list for you, Phoenix? Let me just tell you the most obvious. One: we're sixteen, still in school, which, by the way, you are barely managing. Two: How the hell are we supposed to explain this to normal people? A baby shouldn't just pop up between to males. Three: your parents. You told them you were giving the child up. You can't exactly hide a baby in your closet like you did with that squirrel. Do you remember the squirrel, Phoenix? I remember that squirrel! And number four: You keep using all of this 'we' stuff, but did you even consider the fact that _I_ don't want to be father at sixteen? I have dreams Phoenix! And so do you! Keeping this child means putting everything on hold, _your_ art school and my goal of becoming a lawyer. Everything would go down the drain. Could you really sacrifice your dream _and_ mine?"

Phoenix was stunned into silence. Miles' mini lecture had already shot down every possible incentive he had for keeping the baby. But what else could you expect from a future lawyer, as he had so charmingly stated?

Miles seemed to take noticed the horribly defeated look on his boyfriend's face and realized he may have been a bit too harsh. But it was for Phoenix's own good. He needed to understand the reality of the situation. Life wouldn't just go back to normal if they kept it. It wouldn't be fair to the child if he tried to do something that stupid and selfish.

"Phoenix." Miles said, his tone a little less severe. "Giving the baby up for adoption is the best thing you can do for it. It'll go a nice home with people that love it."

Phoenix slowly reached into his back pocket and pulled out what looked like a black photograph. Upon closer inspection, Miles realized it was a small printout of the ultrasound from this morning.

"…But what if nobody wants him?" Phoenix voice cracked at the end. "What if he's never adopted and thinks nobody loves him or wants him? I love him, Miles! And I want him! It's not fair!"

--

"_Wri… Phoenix, don't cry. We did everything we could." Miles wrapped an arm around his nine-year-old best friend as he wept outside the animal shelter._

_But the small boy wasn't so easily comforted. "I-It's not fair! They didn't have to put Ninja to sleep! Why couldn't they have waited a little longer?!"_

_Miles sighed and started to lead his friend away from the horrible, grey building. "Because it was crowded." Miles reason logically. They need to make room for all of the other animals coming in."_

_Phoenix sniffled and buried his face in Miles' shoulder. The spiky haired boy had been a wreak every since his parents found out about the kitten and made him take it back to the shelter. For the past three days Phoenix, Miles and even Larry had been running around town trying to find someone to adopt Ninja. But this morning when Phoenix had gone in to check on the kitten, he had discovered Ninja had been put to sleep._

"_I would have kept him." Phoenix whimpered. "I wanted him… It's not fair…"_

_Miles silently agreed. But his logical mind reminded him that life was hardly ever fair. The fact that his mother was dead while the rest of his friends had a mother of their own was testament to that._

--

Miles stood up and wrapped his arms tightly around Phoenix. All at once, the dam that had building for nearly two hours finally burst and the spiky haired teen began sobbing into his boyfriend's chest.

Miles began to rub Phoenix's back, an action he had gotten quite skilled at since this whole mess began. Looking down at Phoenix's left hand, Miles noticed the little photo and gently took it out of his hand to get a better look.

It looks like a deformed peanut…

"M-miles…" Phoenix chocked out as began to calm down. "I can't let that happen… I won't let our baby be unloved and think we didn't care about him. I know you don't want to be a father and that's…that's alright. I'll find a way to take care of him, I know I will, just you wait!"

With a sigh Miles slowly let go of Phoenix and kissed the top of his forehead. "Your babbling, Phoenix. Listen; take a little while to calm down a bit. I need to go downstairs and think."

Phoenix nodded at the suggestion and moved over to the corner of the bedroom where he kept his art supplies and grabbed a sketchpad. Once he was situated, Miles silently left the room, the ultrasound printout still in his hand.

--

"So, is the fight over or should I put some blankets on the couch for you?"

Miles glared at his father as he sat down at the dinning room table. "Phoenix wants to keep the baby." He stated bluntly. "He sees one blurry picture of it and suddenly he completely changes his mind. I don't understand it, really."

Gregory raised an eyebrow and put down the coffee mug he had been drinking from. "Well, you shouldn't be too surprised. Actually seeing the life you two made is a whole different experience the just hearing it or talking about it. I'm guessing you don't feel the same way Nick does, then?"

The grey haired teen shook his head. "No, I don't… I mean, I'm just not attached to it like Phoenix is. He just doesn't understand how much keeping it is going to change everything." Miles looked down at the printout in his hands. "But one look at this and Phoenix suddenly changes his mind. We agreed to give the baby up for adoption and now he's suddenly afraid no one might adopt it."

A sad smile graced Gregory's face. "It's a reasonable fear. Many children spend their lives being passed from home to home until they turn eighteen. But let me ask you something, Miles. Why don't you want the baby?"

Miles eyes strayed from the picture as he struggled to remember the points he had made to Phoenix.

"We're sixteen, how are we supposed to go to school and take care of a child?"

"You're graduating this year and the law firm I work at, the same firm you want an internship for, have a childcare facility."

Miles paused for a moment. He hadn't thought about that. He remembered seeing the little daycare once when he had visited his father's law firm. But still, just having somewhere to stick the child during the day wasn't the answer to everything.

"Phoenix and I are both male. That's going to be a little hard to explain."

"Hard, but not impossible. Besides, who else would we need to explain it to? Phoenix's parents know about it, I know about it, and Doctor Black Jack knows. Anyone else is none of their business."

Miles supposed his father had a point. Perhaps he was being a bit overly paranoid about it. But speaking of Mr. and Mrs. Wright…

"What about Phoenix parents? What if they really kick him out over this?"

"Then that would save us the trouble of shopping for two cribs, wouldn't it?"

Shit, he was right. His dad loved Phoenix to death. There was no way he'd kick the picky haired idiot out. But still, he had one more, extremely valid point.

"What if I don't want to be a father?" Miles finally asked, growing tired of the smug look on his father's face. Having a lawyer for a dad really did suck.

Gregory looked thoughtful for a moment. "Hmm, well, that would render my previous reasoning completely pointless. So, do you not want to be a father?"

Miles found himself looking at the printout again. Dammit, why did he bring that stupid thing with him?! "No-I mean I don't know… I never had a chance to really think about it."

"Well, give it a try." His father encouraged. "Don't think about any of that negative stuff. Just the child. You can do it."

The grey haired teen sighed heavily and tried to imagine it. A child, maybe a little boy with his own features, but with Phoenix's smile. Or a little girl with familiar jet-black hair that stuck out in every direction. Now the image of all three of them popped into his mind. A little family… an odd family, but it was there's.

The elder Edgeworth was silent as he watched a small smile slowly appear on his son's face.

Suddenly, Miles seemed to return to the present and stood up. "I should go back upstairs. Phoenix is still a bit upset and we have to talk about a few things."

Gregory watched Miles climb up the stairs until he was out of view. Once he heard the door close, the defense attorney broke out into a wide grin and looked down at the picture of his future grandchild whom he was planning to spoil rotten.

Sometimes, being a lawyer rocked.

--


	11. Let's Play the Name Game!

_February 20th, 2009_

_Phoenix is five months along._

_We decided to keep the baby. I have my doubts over our combined parenting abilities, but Phoenix insists that as long as care for it, that's all that matters._

_I wish I could be that simple sometimes._

_Phoenix really looks pregnant now. The once barely noticeable bump is now bigger then the size of my hand. He mostly wears sweat pants to school because he doesn't want to go out and buy new pants. Not that I blame him. He can still hide it under a sweatshirt, which keeps the other kids from staring. But there is another problem beginning to pop up. The other students are beginning to realize Phoenix and I are more then best friends and are starting to ridicule us because of it. I know that bullying isn't tolerated, but the faculty can't catch everything._

_If someone decides to use Phoenix as a punching bag because of his sexual orientation I don't think the baby would make it. Fortunately, Larry Butz seems to always be around to help defend either Phoenix or myself whenever a problem arises. It's rather unusual considering his cowardly tendencies, but I suppose I shouldn't over think it._

_Still, I think I'll ask about it tomorrow_.

--

"What the hell do you mean you know Phoenix is pregnant?!"

Larry took a small step at Miles' sudden outburst. He hadn't exactly expected something like this to happen when the grey haired teenager had pulled him aside to ask about his sudden change of character, namely the way Larry actually stood up to the other, larger boys when Phoenix was being harassed.

Larry had just grinned and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment. "Well," He had said, "With Nick bein', you know, pregnant an' all I thought I'd help him out a little. That's what best buds do." After a moment's silence, Larry had thought Miles had just been trying to thank him but was too embarrassed to do so.

Apparently not…

"Look," Larry started, trying to placate his angry friend. "I'm not gonna tell anyone! Who would believe me, anyway? Yeah it's a little…"

"Unnatural." Miles offered, to which Larry nodded. "Yeah, it's pretty weird. I mean, what are odds of something like that happening?"

Miles scowled deeply but said nothing. _Apparently just high enough for it to happen to me…Damn you glow in the dark condoms…_

But that still didn't explain how Larry knew about it. "Butz, this isn't exactly something a normal person figures out. I'm not saying your normal, I'm just saying that there's no way you could have just figured it out."

Larry shrugged. "Nick told me about it. Last week, that one asshole senior was giving Nick crap about you two being together, and he tried to punch Nick in the gut."

"What?!

"Relax E-man, he didn't because I jumped in at the last minute like the awesome friend I am and got Nick outta there."

Miles breathed a sighed of relief. He supposed he would have to thank Larry someday. Phoenix would have been so devastated if anything had happened to the baby. But why didn't Phoenix tell him about what had happened? The teen didn't have a chance to ponder long before Larry continued his story.

"Anyway, Nick was kinda shaken up about it. I asked what was wrong and he said I would believe him if he told me. So I kept bugging him about it and he said he pregnant. And he was right. I didn't believe him! I mean, shit, how the hell is that even possible?! But then Nick lifted up his sweatshirt a bit and _damn_! Have you seen how fat he's gotten?!

Miles felt a horrible sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach. "You… didn't actually say that did you?"

A nervous laugh was the all Miles needed as an answer. The future defense attorney groaned and buried his face in hands. "Oh god… of all the things you could have said… you really are some kind of fabulous retard aren't you? You never, _ever_ say that to a pregnant person!"

Larry frowned and crossed his arms. "Well, it would have been nice to have been tipped off on that little fact sooner because I ended up skipping my entire history class trying to get him to come out of the bathroom stall!"

"That sounds about right…" Miles mumbled to himself. "So, after you coaxed Phoenix out of the bathroom, what happened?"

Larry sighed and stared down at the tiled floor below him. "Actually, it was more like I threatened to bust down the door and remind him that I still have pictures of him from the New Year's party."

Miles raised an eyebrow at this particular piece of information. "Really? I thought he burned them all. Do you think I could borrow one of those pictures? He refuses to take any of his vitamins and I could use a little bit of leverage."

Larry had to admit he was surprised. "What the hell kind of a boyfriend are you? You're supposed to get all pissed and indignant about me having those pictures!"

Miles just shrugged his shoulders. "I've stopped lumping myself with normal people a long time ago. Now, back to what happened after you got Phoenix out of the bathroom stall."

"There isn't much to it really. Nick told me how it happened, and I just thought, this is way to complicated to make up so its got to be true. Then Nick let me feel his stomach and I swear to god I felt something moving around in there! It was so freaky but so cool! And he told me you were keepin' it! You two really have balls to do something like that! So what are you gonna name it?"

The gray haired teen's eyes widened slightly as he realized neither he nor Phoenix had even spoken about that.

Miles could already feel the oncoming headache.

--

"Ok, I think I've got it this time!" Phoenix announced from his current posistion on the bed. At the moment, the spiky haired teen was sitting against the headboard and using his distended stomach to prop up a large book of baby names.

Miles bit back a sigh of annoyance. "What is it this time?" For almost three hours, Miles had been bombarded with the most idiotic names he had ever heard. He understood Phoenix wanting their child to have a unique name, but there was a fine line between unique, and just plain embarrassing.

Then again, his name was Phoenix…

"Alright, so I was thinking for a boy we could name him Bruce and for a girl Harley Quinn. Cool, huh?"

"I swear to god, Phoenix, if you picked those names because we watched that Batman movie last night I will smother you in your sleep."

"Well what about you?!" Phoenix protested. "You haven't suggested any names at all and you keep saying mine are all retarded!"

"Because they are." Miles replied. "What was the last name you suggested? Regis? Do I even have to say any more then that?"

By now Phoenix was pouting. It wasn't his fault he was stuck watching early morning television whenever he couldn't make it to school. "So what about you Miles? Do you have any ideas for names or would you like to keep shitting on mine?"

Miles rolled his eyes and looked at book in his lap. "I've just been giving the names a lot of thought that's all. Atticus if it's a boy-"

Phoenix snorted and closed his book. "And you say my name choices suck? What the kind of a name is Atticus?!"

Miles stared at Phoenix in disbelief. "Your kidding, right? Atticus Finch from To' Kill a Mockingbird'? He was one of the greatest fictional characters in literary history? He was a skilled lawyer! You can't honestly say you've never heard of him!"

Phoenix shook his head to which Miles groaned and slid off the bed and hurried over to his bookcase. Upon finding his own copy of 'To Kill a Mockinbird' he tossed it to his boyfriend. "There. Educate yourself."

Perhaps the naming of the child should wait for a little while…

--

_April 15, 2009_

_Phoenix is six and half months along._

_It kicked today. The baby really kicked today. It scared the crap out of Phoenix before he realized what it was. The baby has been moving around for a long time but this is the first time it's actually kicked him. It's pretty amazing. I know a lot of people say that, but it really is. When I placed my hand on one side of Phoenix stomach the baby kicked right at my hand. Then I moved my hand over to the side the same thing happened. I try not to do it around father too much anymore since he not so subtly suggested I was developing a fetish for it. _

_Perhaps I should have taken a page out of Buttz's book and laced his morning coffee with laxatives. _

_Since its spring break, we've found ourselves with a lot of time of our hands. Phoenix usually spends his time taking naps. I find myself trying to balance various objects on his stomach, including a water bottle, which I had forgotten to completely screw on the cap._

_If Phoenix ever reads this, I am certain my death will be swift and merciless._

_As the months go by I find myself growing more and more fond of the idea of being a parent. I suppose its Phoenix's enthusiasm growing on me. In the beginning, I mostly agreed to play the part of father in order to make Phoenix happy. I didn't really feel too strong for our child. It's cruel, I know, but this is my journal, and I can say what I want. But now I'm looking forward to meeting this person that has been growing inside my boyfriend. I wonder what kind of lawyer he or she would make?_

_Not a good one if it inherits any of Phoenix's intellect. The very thought of that overly emotional idiot as a lawyer is a rather frightening thought. God help the person stupid enough to be his client._

--

It was a beautiful spring day. The sky was almost completely clear, not too hot, not too cold, a light breeze from time to time. It was a perfect day for any student on their spring break and naturally, Miles Edgeworth and Phoenix did what just about any teenage boy would do on such a wonderful day.

Sit on the couch and watch horrible daytime television.

"God, I can't believe we're actually watching this…this…trash." Miles grumbled as he s stared at the screen. The gray haired teen would have gladly moved off the couch to do something far more productive had Phoenix not been using his lap as a pillow. Phoenix just grinned and rolled over on his back in order to look up at his boyfriend.

"Oh, come on, Miles! I think it's pretty interesting!"

Miles rolled his eyes. "Phoenix, we're watching some trashy talk show. In Spanish."

Phoenix ignored Miles' complaints about the show, instead turning his head to face the screen.

As the show progressed, Miles began to space out completely. Other thoughts that had been troubling the teen for a while began to surface. _I hope that I did well on that statistics test. So far, I'm right on track to graduate early, but if I can't keep my grades high enough I might not get that internship. And that would throw out all of our plans out the window. God only knows would happen then… Ok, Miles, you need to stop worrying. You did fine on that stupid test and you know it. Damn… I really need to quit being so negative. Maybe if Phoenix quit sucking up all the happy I'd-_

CLICK

_What the hell?_

The sound of a camera had brought Miles out of his thoughts. Turning towards the source of the sound. He knew he shouldn't have been too surprised to find his father standing a few feet away examining the picture he had just taken. Before Miles could even open his mouth to protest, Gregory beat him to it.

"Oh, don't give me that look Miles. I hardly have any pictures of you nowadays and this was just too good to pass up. I think I keep this one for the office." The elder Edgeworth approached the couch to show the picture to both of the boys.

Miles began to wonder if his father had truly gone of the deep end. "Father, you can't keep that picture anywhere! How on earth would you explain that?"

Phoenix just grinned to himself and looked at the picture as Miles and his father bickered back and forth. He'd have to ask Gregory for a copy of it later. The only other pictures he had of Miles were a photo of himself, Miles and Larry on their first day of fifth grade and a few school photos here and there. Ever since childhood, Miles seemed to have this… thing about getting his picture taken. It was such a pain sometimes. "You realize, Miles we're going to be taking a lot of family pictures when Florence is born."

"That may be true," Miles replied. "But I hope you realize that if you name our child Florence I'm divorcing you."

"What?! Oh come on! I picked that one out the book! And it can be a boy or girl's name!"

"It shouldn't be anyone's name. No Florence, Phoenix."

"Your so picky." Phoenix huffed. "At least I can come up with different names!"

Sensing another fight about to break out, Gregory decided to nip it in the bud before he had to listen to two hours of 'you never listen to me' and 'if you really loved me you'd let me name the baby whatever ridiculous name Phoenix had come up with this time'. "Alright, you two, it's a nice day outside and I think you guys need to get out there for a while and do something productive."

Miles raised an eyebrow. "Such as?"

"Shopping. You already have the crib, yes. But there are still clothes, toys, blankets, bottles, the works. And now would be a perfect time since Phoenix can still walk around for longs periods of time without having his feet hurt." Gregory almost laughed and horrified looks on both Phoenix and Miles' face. "Honestly, you two look like I've given you a death sentence! Come on, it'll be fun! I'll even come with you."

Miles face changed from horrified, to a borderline panic attack. "No!" He blurted out. "I don't think I could take it!" The mere thought of his father accompanying them into a baby store was far too much for the teen to bear.

Gregory just shrugged and walked off in the opposite direction. "Alright, I suppose I'll just take myself, the car, and my _money_ and find something else to do."

God_damn_ he was good.


	12. Interlude from the Feenie

A/N: Wow, it certainly has been a while, huh? Moving and school stuff certainly takes a lot of time. But now I'm back and even have a bit a surprise for anyone that has read this story on the kink meme or my livejournal. This is something completely new to the original story. Nothing big, just a couple of moments from Phoenix's perspective. Enjoy!

Interlude: Roll Back the Clock.

_October 16__th__… or 17__th__… aww who cares I'm probably only going to write in this thing once, anyway._

_Dear Diary-thing (Or however you start these things.)_

_I can't believe I'm writing this down at all. I heard Mr. Edgeworth talking about writing therapy to Miles so I thought I'd give it a shot. Miles doesn't know I'm doing it, and I don't think I'm supposed to know about his since he puts it away whenever I come near it. But that's not the point. _

_The point is, I'm pregnant. _

_Yeah, you heard me, pregnant, knocked up, with child. Whatever. _

_I never thought that something like this would happen. First, and most important of all, I'm a guy, who pees standing up and everything. But according the freaky doctor dude, I have female bits inside me, and I'd really rather not think about the rest of that. _

_It's so weird. The only way I really know I'm pregnant, is all the puking I've been doing. The ginger ale helps a lot though. Oh, and did I mention my dad kicked me out of the house? Well, once I have the baby I'm allowed to go back… but I really don't want to. _

_I know I'm only six weeks into this and anything can happen to this baby, but I hope that if it makes it through, that it'll go to parents that'll love it a lot._

_So yeah… that's it… bye. _

---

"M-miles…" Phoenix chocked out as began to calm down. "I can't let that happen… I won't let our baby be unloved and think we didn't care about him. I know you don't want to be a father and that's…that's all right. I'll find a way to take care of him, I know I will, just you wait!"

With a sigh Miles slowly let go of Phoenix and kissed the top of his forehead. "Your babbling, Phoenix. Listen; take a little while to calm down a bit. I need to go downstairs and think."

Phoenix nodded at the suggestion and moved over to the corner of the bedroom where he kept his art supplies and grabbed a sketchpad. Once he was situated, Miles silently left the room, the ultrasound printout still in his hand.

However, instead of a picture, words started to form at the end of the young man's pencil. He wasn't sure why, but at the moment he was too upset to care.

_Stupid Miles. Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid! _

_Is it so bad that I want to keep the baby? He keeps talking about OUR dreams and the sacrifices WE would have to make if we kept it. But would we really have to? And even so, wouldn't it be worth it? Hell, we could even come up with new dreams that include the baby, if that would appease his majesty the queen. _

_I doubt it. You've always had to stick to your plan, Miles. ALWAYS. You stick so close to your plan you have a mental break down whenever something unexpected happens. Well guess what, Miles Edgeworth, shit happens! I don't think us being together was part of your plan (and if it was, that's a tad bit creepy, and makes me think you really do have psychic powers like Larry said.) but you somewhat managed to adjust to that. And I KNOW that this baby wasn't part of the plan either. But would it be so bad to make it a part? I guess it would since you already told me you didn't want to be a father. _

_I guess that part hurts the most, but I know once you decide something, that's it unless you get some evidence or some crap like that to prove otherwise, and I'm certainly no lawyer. _

_It's too bad, but I'm not giving up just because of Miles. I'm keeping this baby. There are tons of teenage girls that manage it, why can't I? I'll just have to love it twice as much I guess. _

Phoenix looked up from his sketchbook as Miles stepped inside. Feeling a renewed fighting spirit, the teen stood up, ready for round two.

"Miles I know can be-"

"I want to keep the baby too."

What ever was the end of Phoenix's sentence died instantly the moment Miles spoke. Did he hear right? Miles had changed his mind? This was… amazing. He may have not been a church boy, but he knew a miracle when he saw one.

He didn't even feel the tears streaking down his face until Miles started wiping them away.

---

Name: Feenie McAwesome

Date: February 25 2009

Now connected to IRC private chat with: Uber Ladies Man

McAwesome: What is it now, Larry?

Ladies Man: I just wanted to see if you guys decided on a name get.

McAwesome: Not yet. Miles is being kind of a jerk about it. He keeps rejecting every name I come up with!

Ladies Man: Well you could always name the kid after me :)

McAwesome: ….err…

Ladies Man: :(

McAwesome: Oh come on, Larry, it would be too weird if we named it after you. And Miles would kill me if we.

Ladies Man: Ok ok. But hey, how are doing anyway? The kid giving you any trouble?

McAwesome: Nothing more then usual. Moving around mostly. No real kicks yet.

Ladies Man: This is still pretty weird to me man. I mean, yeah your pregnant and all and that IS pretty insane. But you think you and Miles will be able to handle it. I know you'd be ok but Miles can be… well…

McAwseome: An overly perfectionist Nazi? No kidding.

Truth and Justice has joined the chat.

Ladies Man: Uh oh…

Ladies Man has signed off.

Justice: So… I'm a Nazi perfectionist am I?

McAwesome: …I love you?

Justice: I'm giving you a ten second head start so you'd better start waddling away because I'm still in the next room.

McAwesome: Oh Shi-

Justice: :)

McAwesome has signed off.


	13. I Love Lucy had it WAY easier

AN: Holy crap! TWO updates in one day? Hells to the yes, bebeh! It's my way of saying sorry I was gone for so long. So here you go!

---

"And what can I help you gentlemen find today?" Asked an overly perky woman with equally overly perky breasts.

Miles tried to hide his disgust; they were obviously fake, any moron could see that.

And yet his father couldn't seem to take his eyes off of them.

Dammit, didn't this store have a dress code?! She was in a mini skirt and tightest polo shirt he had ever seen, and his father wasn't helping one bit.

After stewing for another moment, Miles finally decided to just suck it up and get out of this store as quickly as possible. "Yes, you can help us." _By putting some clothes on._ "We're looking for some clothing that's gender neutral."

"Aww, are you getting a little brother or sister?" The woman asked in a tone of voice that sounded more suitable for talking to a dog. Naturally, this didn't please Miles one bit.

"No, I'm getting clothes for my son or daughter." Came the blunt reply. As Miles looked at the surprised expression on the woman's face and was tempted to add that the 'mother' was currently standing right next to him. But he held his tongue.

"…Oh." The woman said at last, her perky smile struggling to remain on her face.. "Well, that's wonderful. Let me go get some clothes that we just got in. I think you'll like them."

Phoenix snickered as the perky woman walked off. "Oh man, that was great! Did you see the look on her face?"

Miles found himself smirking. "Oh yes of course. What about you, father?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah… face." Gregory mumbled as he turned to examine a pile of stuffed bears.

Miles crossed his arms. "Father! You were about as subtle as a freight train! What about mother?! Remember her?"

Gregory chuckled as he picked up one of the stuffed bears for a closer look. "Yes, I love your mother dearly, but a man has needs, son. Now kindly leave your poor old father to his needs or I'll have to tell Phoenix the real reason why you couldn't go trick or treating when you were ten."

Phoenix raised an eyebrow. "I thought he was sick."

Miles paled and grabbed his boyfriend's sleeve. "Come on, let's go look at the cribs."

Gregory grinned to himself as the two boys moved to the other end of the store. _Well, I guess I've had my fun today. _He thought to himself with an amused smile. _Don't worry Malinda, you're still the only girl for me. _Without even realizing it, Gregory Edgeworth found himself looking down at the wedding wing on his finger that, even after twelve years, had never been able to bring himself to take it off.

--

_June 3rd 2009,_

_Phoenix is eight months along._

_I can't believe it. I'm really going to graduate early. Father can't stop talking about how proud he is of me, which is nice because it keep him from making any of his asinine comments, which was really helpful when I tried on the graduation gown for the first time. It feels like a dammed dress, but at least I only have to wear it once. I actually didn't want to go to the graduation ceremony. But everyone kept bugging me about it. Well, to be honest, father guilt tripped me, Phoenix begged me, and Larry wouldn't shut up about it. So, here I am in a purple dress, surrounded by people a full head taller then I am. Dammed growth spurts._

_And, after all of that begging, Phoenix isn't even coming. He couldn't even attend the last week of school because he can't even fit in a desk anymore or walk up the stairs. Not to mention he's dead tired all the time since he's up half the night going to bathroom. It's not that big of a deal though. The world will keep turning regardless of Phoenix attending or not._

--

"Brandon Dunearth"

Miles kept his eyes forward as he waited for his name to be called. It was a fairly warm day since it was practically summer. But at least there was enough of a breeze to keep it pleasant. He didn't bother to look in the stands. There were far too many people to try and pick out his father.

"Jessica Earthe"

At least now he could start getting ready for that internship. Miles knew he'd have to work hard if he wanted to be able to support Phoenix and the baby, whom they were certainly not naming Otacon! _I swear he just throws out the stupidest names just to piss me off._

"Miles Edgeworth"

Finally! Miles quickly walked up the stairs and onto the stage. As he took his diploma from the school principal, the grey haired teen glanced at the crowd. When he did, he was surprised to see his father standing up and clapping, Larry cheering and pumping his fist in the air, and to his utmost astonishment, Phoenix, who was sitting down, but practically bouncing off his seat. He clapped and cheered just as loud as his father and Larry.

Miles smiled fondly as he took his seat among the other graduates.

Things were going to be all right.

--

"No… fucking… way… This just isn't possible." Larry stared at the television screen as he tried to figure out how the hell _Miles_ could beat him at Guitar Hero.

"Dude, you're a dammed bookworm! And you hate video games! This just isn't fair!" Larry wailed as he flopped onto the floor.

Miles shrugged. "It's all a matter of hand eye coordination."

"And the fact he's played it with me almost every night since I moved in." Phoenix added with a knowing grin. "I think he likes it more then he lets on." The spiky haired teen stared at the plastic controller longingly. His stomach had become far too big for Phoenix to handle the controller properly. More then a little annoyed, Phoenix began to poke at his stomach. "Hey, come on out already! I think you've had more then enough time in there!"

Miles chuckled as he chose another song to slaughter Larry. But before he could begin, the doorbell rang. The grey haired teen sighed. His father was away at court today which meant he had to deal with the lovely summer door to door salesmen. "I'll be right back." He mumbled, but Phoenix was already walking down the hall.

"I'm already up, Miles. It's probably just some girl scout or something." When Phoenix reached the door he subconsciously tugged on his sweatshirt and opened the door.

Well, it certainly wasn't a girl scout.

It was an older man. In a blue suit that looked like something from the renascence fair and… a taser? This couldn't be good…

"Augh-!"

--

Miles smiled in smug satisfaction as he soundly trounced Larry in yet another round.

Larry just sighed and dropped the plastic guitar on the floor. "Are you just good at everything you do or just at the things I like to do?" He pouted childishly. There were just some things that weren't supposed to be. Birds flew, fish swam, and Miles Edgeworth was supposed to suck at anything that didn't have to do with being a lawyer.

Miles put his controller on the floor. "I'm going to get something from the kitchen. I have a nagging suspision Phoenix just discovered the chocolate truffles my father bought. After I drag him back up here I think we have time for another round." The grey haired teen chuckled to himself as he walked down the hall, Larry's groans still ringing in his ears. He was beginning to see why Phoenix and Larry and every other guy seemed to love video games. Perhaps he would go out and buy a few. God knows Phoenix would enjoy it.

"Phoenix, if you ate all those truffles I'll- PHOENIX!"

Miles felt his heart freeze at the sight of his boyfriend laying on the ground, unmoving. However, the rest of his body followed suit when an all too familiar voice reached his ears.

"So you are here after all. And here I thought I'd gotten the wrong house."

Miles found himself unable to move or even speak as Manfred von Karma jabbed something into his side. The grey haired teen cried out in pain and promptly fell to the floor next to Phoenix.

Von Karma smirked to himself as he stared down at the two unconscious teenagers.

Gregory Edgeworth would soon know the wrath that was von Karma.

--

Larry shivered as he stayed in his hiding spot behind the couch even after the door had closed.

"H-hello? 9-1-1? Um, some old guy in a frilly blue suit just tasered and kidnapped my friend his pregnant boyfriend."

--

A soft groan escaped Miles' lips. His entire body tingled from the aftermath of god only knows how many volts sent through him.

_Phoenix…_

The teen opened his eyes and tried to adjust to the lighting. Where the hell was he? Before Miles could answer that question, there was a pricking sensation on his right forearm. Shifting his gaze, he caught sight of a syringe… that wasn't good.

As Miles felt his body drift off once again, a light hum of an engine filled his ears.

It sounded just like the inside of an airplane.

_Phoenix… please be alright._

--

A/N: Don't kill me.


	14. They Have Pills for Everything Nowadays

A/N: Ok, so here's a chapter to keep you occupied until I finish revamping the next one. For you Kink Meme readers you'll find some of the scenes completely changed because, quite frankly, it just didn't make much sense in some ways. Anyway, here's chapter 13. Enjoy!

--

The next time Miles awoke the humming sound was gone as was the tingling feeling in his body. He was also laying on something soft, a bed. Wait, why the hell was in he is a bed?! Miles' eyes shot open. Sitting up, the teen ignored the sudden dizziness and looked around. He was in a bedroom, a lavishly decorated one at that. Everything in the room seemed to fit together, from the wallpaper, to the picture frames, and even right down to the wastebasket next to the bed. It was perfect.

And it freaked the shit out of Miles.

Hopping out of the four-poster bed, Miles ran to the door and grabbed the handle. Locked, of course. As the teen looked around for any tools he could use as a means of escape and finding Phoenix, the door suddenly clicked open and in walked the man that, for the past seven years, only existed in his worst nightmare.

Von Karma hadn't changed. He still looked every bit as intimidating as he had back when he was a child. The cane was new though… he didn't remember the cane.

"Where's Phoenix?" Miles demanded, rather proud that he kept his voice steady.

The knowing smirk Miles hated so much appeared on the older man's face. "Who? Oh, you mean that boy with the ridiculous hair? Does he mean a lot to you, Miles? He must, since you kept calling for him in your sleep the entire ride over here. I was just about ready to gag you."

Miles narrowed his eyes. "Where's Phoenix?" He repeated.

"Why, he's here of course." The old man answered smoothly. "I couldn't exactly leave him there as a witness."

"And where's 'here' exactly?"

"Somewhere quite far from your precious little home, I assure you."

Miles tried to keep his expression neutral. He never mentioned anything about Buttz. _That mean's he must have not been seen! I'm sure even that idiot would have called my father or the police by now! All I have to do is keep Phoenix and myself safe until we're rescued from this lunatic…_

"I want to see Phoenix. I want to see he's safe." Miles insisted. His answer was a wag of Von Karma's finger in front of Miles' face. The teen grit his teeth, and fought the very tempting urge to bite it. "Now, now, Miles, I know your eager to get back to your little lover and your spawn…"

Miles' eyes widened in alarm. How did he know?! There was no way! Von Karma seemed to take some sort of sadistic pleasure at the panicked look on Miles' face. "It was personal physician that discovered it. He could barely believe it and neither could I. Such a horrible abomination, Miles. I never would have expected this of you. Perhaps I should have it ripped out of that boy and taken care of for you?"

"No!" Miles shouted completely losing any composure he had managed to hold onto until now. "Y-You wouldn't do th-"

_Actually, yes he would…_

"Why are you doing this?! All of this, because my father put on penalty on your precious perfect record?!" shot back as anger began to well up inside him. How dare this man take him away from his home? How dare he drag Phoenix, who was completely innocent, into this mess? "He was just pointing out the truth you were trying to cover up!" The teen shut up rather quickly when Von Karma grabbed the front of his shirt and nearly lifted him from the floor. Had Miles not been scared witless he might have been impressed that a man of von Karma's age to manage such a feat.

"You think this is just about your father? Are you so arrogant to think you are blameless? I don't take kindly to being shot, Miles. I would have dealt with you all those years ago if I had known you were the one you shot me."

Miles felt the color drain from his face. "…I knew it. You were the one that shot my father. That scream of pain… was yours." Feeling a surge of courage, Miles smirked. "And here I thought it was some little girl."

The teen instantly regretted his words when Von Karma's eyes narrowed. "You know as well I do that I would never openly admit to however Edgeworth was shot, however, I am more then willing to let you in on a little secret, since I don't plan on letting you leave. But you already knew that." A frightening grin became visible on the prosecutor's features which chilled Miles to bone.

"After the elevator began moving, I went down the stairs and found where it had stopped. It was hard to do with a goddammed bullet in my shoulder, but I find you can do just about anything with the proper motivation. The elevator had stopped in the basement, no one around. I opened the door and found all three of you, Yogi, you, and your father, apparently bleeding from some sort of injury."

"Yeah, from when you shot him!" Miles hissed.

Von Karma ignored the teen and continued his story. "I'll admit I thought of ending his life. After all, Edgeworth had already tarnished my perfect record, there was no telling what he would do if he lived. Unfortunately, the gun that you threw had no bullets left. But then I realize I could enact my revenge in a much more… personal way."

"What…what are talking about?" Miles asked, suddenly afraid of the answer.

"I knew he'd never openly admit it to any one. The fool has far too much pride. I was a little disappointed, I'll admit. He was unconscious the entire time, but judging by how many of his panic attacks I read about in the paper, he knew."

Miles' blood ran cold.

He didn't.

He had to be lying.

_It had been just one week since the earthquake at the courthouse. Miles had stayed over at Phoenix' house until his father had been released from the hospital. Now, back in own bed, nine-year-old Miles quickly climbed out of it. It was just a little shaking… probably nothing, but Miles wasn't about to take any chances._

_Silently, the little boy made his way down the dark and creaky hallway. Upon arriving at his father's bedroom, Miles opened up the door and stuck his head inside._

"_Dad?" came a timid whisper._

_At first there was silence, then a whimper; from the elder Edgeworth. Miles frowned. Dads weren't supposed to make noises like that. As he approached the bed, Miles began to hear more noises. Moans and words Miles couldn't understand, he even began to move around a little. Now Miles was worried. His dad never moved around or made noises while he slept. He didn't even snore!_

"_Dad, wake up." Nothing. Finally, Miles placed a small hand on Gregory's shoulder and gave it a good shake. "Dad!"_

_To Miles' utmost surprise, his father shot straight up and made a loud noise that sounded something in between a cry and a yell. Gregory took a few shuttering breaths and tried to calm himself down. It was a few minutes before he noticed Miles, who was now halfway across the room staring at Gregory as if he had lost his mind. The older man frowned and ran a hand through his short brown hair. "I'm sorry Miles I just had a… bad dream. Are you alright?"_

_Miles didn't think adults had bad dreams like that but he chose not to say anything more on the subject. Instead, he told his father why he had come into his bedroom in the first place. "I… I thought I felt the ground shake…" He said hesitantly, a little embarrassed about wanting to sleep in his father's bed at age nine._

_Fortunately, Gregory just smiled. "There's plenty of room, you know that. Now hop in, I need to use the bathroom and then I'll be right behind you." Miles nodded and climbed into his father's bed as Gregory walked into his connecting bathroom. The little boy waited for a few minutes before he could have sworn he heard his father talking… to himself. Being as quiet as possible, Miles climbed out the bed and moved as close as he could the bathroom so he could see his father._

_Miles watched as Gregory put something into his mouth then drank a glass of water. After spying a bottle on the sink counter, Miles confirmed they were pills. But for what? Father wasn't sick. And even if he was he never took pills for it. He always used those stupid home remedies. Still confused, Miles decided to go back to the bed and curl up in the big fluffy covers._

_It was many years later before Miles discovered that the medication his father was taking was called Minipress, a medication meant to block nightmares caused by post traumatic stress disorder._

Miles felt sick to his stomach. There was no way that this son of a bitch did such a thing to his father. "I don't believe you. You wanted to kill my father so badly that you were willing to shoot him in an elevator." So what if his father had been taking medication for PTSD? The doctors had wanted to put him on it as well after the incident.

Von Karma's smile didn't waiver. "Think what you'd like, Miles. Denial is a wonderful state of mind for the foolish."

The older man finally let go of Miles' shirt and Miles took a few steps back. This guy was crazy. Beyond insane. And he absolutely couldn't leave Phoenix alone with Von Karma. "Let me see Phoenix." Miles demanded for the third time.

A sadistically pleased look crossed the older man's features. "You want to see your precious Phoenix? Then beg."

"What?"

"You heard me. You want to be your little lover so badly, then prove it. Strip, bow at my feet and beg me to let you see your little Phoenix."

Von Karma almost laughed at the horrified look on Miles' face. "So, is that a no? That's fine. I'll send some food to your room after I'm done… talking with your little Phoenix."

With that, the prosecutor turned and walked towards the door.

Three…

Two…

One…

"Wait!"

Perfect timing. Like always.

A/N: I know this chapter is a bit short but it's for a good reason! The next chapter is going to be super… mega… ultra long. At least for me. Hopefully the rewites won't take that long and we get the good stuff!


	15. Those Three Words we all Want to Hear

A/N: Whoo hoo! This chapter is a lovely fifteen pages! I've rewritten a lot of the original in this part and I'm pretty pleased with it. Ah yes, and I'd just like to take a second to thank everyone for reading this little story of mine. I'm honored to receive such kind praise from you all!

Now… one with the Story!

---

Miles glared at Von Karma's back with all of the hatred he could muster. Though he had admit, it was a lot easier to give a crazy person a nasty look when you doing it from behind a blindfold. Even as the older man led him through the house to wherever Phoenix was being kept, the grey haired teen began planning Von Karma's slow, painful death for the humiliation he had to endure. And Miles had a feeling it was only going to get worse as time went on. So in between his hateful glares and vivid images of Von Karma's end, Miles prayed his father and police would find them soon.

He had admit, he Von Karma certainly had foresight. Even if he somehow managed to break out of his room, there would be no way he'd be able to navigate this place to rescue Phoenix and escape from here.

Well, the bastard was 'perfect' after all. It figured he'd plan ahead even for something as sick as this.

Soon enough, Von Karma stopped and Miles could here the jingling of keys and the sound of the door opening. Before Miles could say anything, his blindfold was thankfully removed.

The moment the door was opened, Miles poked his head through, ready to beat in Von Karma's face if Phoenix was injured. However, any plans to make a daring rescue were dashed when he caught sight of a shackle on Phoenix's leg. The chain connected him to the wall at the head of the bed. But it seemed Phoenix wasn't injured, thankfully. Had it been any other time in their lives, Miles would have laughed, or at least cracked a smile at the sight of Phoenix laying flat on his back sleeping peacefully.

Hell, the guy was snoring. He couldn't have exactly been in excruciating pain.

Before Miles had even taken a step into the bedroom, Von Karma's hand tightened its grip on the boy's arm.

"There, you've seen him. So it's back to your own room." Came the older man's stern, cold voice.

Miles tore his gaze away from Phoenix to look up at Von Karma, when a heated look. He wanted so much to just kick this bastard in balls and attempt to escape just to prove he wasn't helpless. But he couldn't, and both Miles and Von Karma knew why. Von Karma had turned Phoenix into a perfect weapon to use against Miles. If Miles made a bad choice, Phoenix –and their child by extension- would suffer the consequences.

So with those uplifting thought in mind, Miles kept his mouth shut and allowed Von Karma to put the blindfold back on and lead him back to his room.

"You know what you have to do if you wish to ensure his safety tomorrow." Was only thing the older man said as the door to Miles' lavish prison cell was slammed shut.

--

Miles wasn't sure how long he sat on that oddly comfortable bed since Von Karma had failed to provide a clock. But the longer he sat there the angrier he felt himself becoming. Any plan the he had come up with on escaping had been torn apart, because each plan involved him taking Phoenix with him. A very small, very selfish part of his brain told him he should just save himself, and once he got out of this place, he could get help and then rescue Phoenix. After all, Von Karma wanted to kill him, not Phoenix.

But it didn't take long for Miles' more rational side to kick in. He had seen the disgusted look on Karma's face when speaking of Phoenix and their child. It wasn't natural, being with a man, that man being pregnant. It… wasn't perfect.

No, the only reason Phoenix was still among the living was so he could be used against Miles, it was that simple.

However, that didn't relieve any of the boy's frustration so, like most people at the boiling point, Miles did something extremely un-Miles' like and slammed his fist against the wall…

Only to instantly pull it into his chest and hold back a whimper.

Damn that had _hurt_.

_Bam bam!_

_What the hell?_

_Bam bam!_

Miles turned his attention to the wall at the rather loud banging sound, which seemed to be coming from the next room. Confused, Miles used his non-aching hand to answer the bang with one of his own. And sure enough, he got a response. This repeated a few more times, before he finally heard a muffled voice from the other side.

"Who's over there?!" came a very familiar voice through the wall, though Miles could hardly believe it.

"Phoenix! Is that you?" He answered.

"Miles! Yeah, it's me! Are you ok?" Phoenix replied through the wall.

Miles didn't know weather to be relieved or pissed as hell. Von Karma had led him all around this damn house to keep him from finding Phoenix, ever if he did escape. Clever bastard. But at least he now knew where the other was and could finally speak to him.

"I'm alright. How about you? Are you hurt anywhere?" He asked, remembering when he had discovered Phoenix on the floor, unmoving just before von Karma had kidnapped them both.

"Nope, I'm fine, and the baby's still abusing my insides." Phoenix replied with a bit of a chuckle, something Miles had to admit, was a relief to hear. "What about you? Do you know what the hell happened? Because I only remember opening the door and that's about it."

"It was Von Karma" Miles answered, not bothering to hold back the venom in his voice. "He tasered both of us, kidnapped us, and holding us hostage and is probably going to take his sweet time killing us. By the way, he knows you're pregnant."

Phoenix sighed. "That sounds about right…" He grumbled. "And I'm guessing Larry's around here somewhere to?"

Miles shook his head. "No, he never mentioned Buttz, my guess is that that he never saw Buttz and for once he was smart enough to stay hidden. So, now all we need to do is wait until my father and police arrive."

Phoenix was silent for a moment, which worried Miles until he spoke again. "…So, Von Karma, huh? No never told me that much about him, other then that he tried to kill your dad. He's a prosecutor right?"

Miles frowned a little but nodded. "He's never lost a case. Ever. Perfection is all he cares about. So when my father caused Von Karma to be penalized-"

"He tried to kill your dad over something like that?!" Phoenix cried out in disbelief. "That's messed up! Even your dad gets penalized once in a while! And you're telling me, he tried to kill or dad over it? Are you it wasn't because he had some horrible pun in court or something? Because, I really like your dad and all, but some of those jokes he makes,-"

"Are painfully bad, I know." Miles interrupted. "But my father is very professional in the courtroom. That's why when he gets home he unleashes in horrible sense of humor on us…"

The jiggling of the door handle caught Miles' attention. The grey haired teen gripped the covers on his bed tightly. Had Von Karma decided to kill him now? Or was he about to put Miles through another humiliating act while holding Phoenix safety over his head?

"Miles," Came Phoenix's voice. "You ok?"

Miles tensed as the door slowly opened.

And the last thing either Miles expected to see poked its head through the doorway.

A little girl.

She couldn't have been any older then ten from what Miles could tell, but by the look on her face, she seemed to think she was much older.

"Who are _you_?" The little girl demanded, crossing her arms with an all too familiar looking scowl. Miles just stared at the small child. What was it with him and bossy little girls lately? First there was that annoying little brat at Doctor Black Jack's house, then there was this little girl.

Miles wasn't sure what to say, other then his name. "Miles. Miles Edgeworth. And you are?" He asked, if only out of habit.

"My name is Franziska Von Karma, but that's Miss Von Karma to you!" the little girl answered hotly. "You'd better treat me with respect because I'm going to be a prosecutor soon!"

Miles kept staring at the young child in front of him. It wasn't too surprising that this Franziska was related to Manfred Von Karma, why else would she be here and running around loudly proclaiming her future carrer?

"You're going to a prosecutor? At your age? That's impossible." Miles stated flatly.

Franziska glared at Miles, obviously not liking the tone he was taking with her. "I could be a prosecutor right now if I wanted to! If it wasn't for those foolish fools who set the age limit to thirteen! Just you wait, in three years, I'll so everyone the perfection that is Von Karma!"

Miles groaned and flopped down on the bed. "Great… another Von Karma with a perfection complex…"

Suddenly, Miles heard Phoenix's voice drift through the wall again. "Miles! Come on, answer me!

Franziska looked over at the wall where the noise was coming from. "Is someone else here to?" She asked, starting to look confused. It had been odd enough when her father had come home from America so suddenly, but he even brought people with him?

Miles turned his attention towards the wall. "Yes, Phoenix, I'm fine. There's… someone else here, but I'm pretty sure it's alright." He reassured the other boy before looking back at the little girl.

"Franziska." Miles said in as a calm and friendly, tone as he could manage. "My friend is in the room next and I'd like to see him. If we went over there to visit would you not tell…umm… Mister von Karma?"

Franziska furrowed her little brow in thought. Trying to keep things from her father never ended well. But that didn't make her any less curious about these two people inside her home. After all, she couldn't remember the last time anyone visited.

With a nod, the little girl led Miles out of his room. Once he was in front of Phoenix's door, the thought of how they were supposed to get in crossed his mind. How did Franziska even get into his room in the first place? But Miles soon got his answer when the little girl pulled a worn playing card out of her dress pocket and stuck it through the lock.

As if sensing Miles' impeding question, Franziska calmly answered. "Papa locks the door to my bedroom at night, but I get hungry so I use this to sneak into the kitchen. It takes a lot of practice. Don't tell papa, ok?"

Miles nodded as the lock to the door clicked and opened easily. Perhaps he had really underestimated this girl.

"Miles!"

The grey haired teen's attention instantly turned toward the other end of the room where Phoenix sat on the bed. He looked pretty surprised and with good reason.

Miles hurried over to the other boy and immediately began looking him over for injuries or anything that would give him further case to do terrible things to Von Karma.

Phoenix, in spite of the situation, started to laugh. "Miles, I'm fine, really. Well, expect for the whole being chained thing." He held up part of said chain and looked at it with a frown. It had certainly come as a surprise when he had first woken up and tried to walk to the door only to end up crashing to the ground.

"You must have really done something bad if papa decided to put that on you." Came a voice that certainly did not belong to Miles.

Looking away from the chain, Phoenix spotted Franziska. So this must have been the person Miles had mentioned. "Um, last I checked I didn't do anything." He muttered. While he certainly wasn't thrilled about this situation, he wasn't about to run his mouth about it in front a child and Von Karma's _daughter_.

Strangely enough, the little girl didn't question about the chain, or even seem that surprised about it, something that Phoenix and Miles found almost as disturbing as the chain itself.

But while they were in this situation, even Phoenix knew that they needed all the friends they could get. Plus he always had a soft spot for little kids. Miles told him it was only because he was in 'maternal mode' from being pregnant, but Phoenix liked to the think otherwise.

So, the black haired teen smiled at Franziska and introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you. My name's Phoenix, and you are?"

Franziska straightened her back and stood proudly. "My name is Franziska Von Karma, and I'm going to be taking the bar exam soon so you better treat me with respect!"

Miles rolled his eyes at the familiar introduction. Unfortunately Franziska spotted it and quickly rose to her own defense. "You don't think I can do it, do you? Your just jealous because I'm going to be a world famous prosecutor before you even set foot into a courtroom!"

Miles narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth to reply when Phoenix, for once deciding to be the mature one, decided to change the subject. "Hey, don't be upset, Franziska. I know you'll be able to do it. Now, do you know where we are? We haven't exactly been given that particular piece of information."

The grey haired teen suddenly felt rather sheepish as he realized he had yet to ask Franziska that very question. He had been too caught up in arguing with a ten year old. It was pretty damn embarrassing to say the least.

Franziska's glare softened ever so slightly as she addressed Phoenix. "Your in my vacation house, you fool; In Germany, in Europe, on planet Earth. Is that exact enough for you?"

Phoenix's jaw dropped. "Germany?! We're all the way in Germany?! Crap! Miles, how are we supposed to get out of here?!"

Miles glared at the ceiling. He knew he shouldn't have been too shocked about being in Germany. "I don't know. All we can do is wait until my father and police come get us."

"Police? Are you two in trouble?" The little girl asked, looking at the two suspiciously. "Well, I hope your not going to try and run because the nearest town a long way off and you're way too fat get anywhere quickly."

Wincing, Miles prepared himself for one of Phoenix's usual emotions outbursts. And having no bathroom for Phoenix to lock himself in, Miles knew he would be forced to listen to Phoenix wail about how fat he'd gotten.

But it never came.

Looking over at his boyfriend, Miles was shocked to see a pleasant smile on Phoenix's face. It seemed that Phoenix's new maturity and sudden appearance of common sense was here to stay. Miles couldn't help the smile that tugged on his lips at the thought.

"Well, lucky for me, I'm not fat." Phoenix said, his smile growing as Miles' was completely wiped off his face.

Oh crap. He wasn't…

"You look fat to me." Franziska replied with a stern tone of voice.

"No, it's a baby. There's a baby inside me."

… He did. The moron.

Franziska stared at Phoenix as if he had lost his mind, which she was sure he had. "Don't be such a fool! Men can't have babies! It's not possible! It goes against nature!"

Phoenix laughed and scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, well, I thought that to. It's been pretty weird these past eight months, but it's true. I guess I'm just… special."

"Oh, your special alright…" muttered Miles under his breath.

The spiky haired teen sighed. It was obvious Franziska still didn't believe him. He knew telling her was probably a stupid idea, but right now, this little girl was their only ally. Besides, being raised by Von Karma couldn't have been much fun. "Hey, I have an idea! Why don't you come over here and feel for yourself?"

Hesitantly the little girl complied, if only to have proof that this fool was completely crazy. She walked over to the bed Phoenix was sitting on and placed a small hand on his swollen stomach only to pull it away as fast as she could a few seconds later. "W-What was that?!" She cried, staring side eyes at Phoenix's stomach.

Phoenix grinned. "That, Franziska, is the baby trying to play kickball with my insides. And here's the problem. He or she wants to come out soon but there's only one person that can take the baby out, and he's back in America, where we're from. We need to get back as soon as we can. We could really use your help."

Franziska kept her eyes on the teen's stomach, unsure what to believe. Men shouldn't be able to have babies., but there was obviously something in there. "My papa has a private doctor. He can take the baby out for you, if that thing in you really is a baby." She added, narrowing her eyes at the offending stomach.

_And that's exactly what we're afraid of_. Miles thought to himself. _They'd take the baby out and never give it back._

--

"Mister Edgeworth, we're doing everything we can, don't you think you should go home and rest."

Gregory shook his head. "I can't. No one around here knows Von Karma better then myself. I know he's responsible for this, just like he was responsible for shooting me all those years ago." With a sigh, the defense attorney sank back in his chair and reached for the cold cup of coffee one of the detectives had given him. He still couldn't believe it. In the middle of court he had received a hysterical phone call from Miles' friend, Larry about a 'frilly old dude with a taser'. It had taken him only a moment to realize who the culprit was and quickly informed the police.

For now, Gregory was silent as he listened to the detectives discuss their next move. At the moment, they had sent a small unit of police to where Von Karma was staying.

Suddenly the door flew open, causing the sleep deprived Gregory to nearly fall out of his chair.

"Sir!" The policeman shouted to the waiting detective. "We searched Von Karma's entire home and we were unable to find him or the two missing boys. We believe he may have left on his personal jet and we're making calls to the airport and freezing his passport as we speak."

Gregory removed his glasses and rubbed his temples. This was getting worse and worse. "If he took the boys on that private jet, then he could be anywhere." He said softly, almost to himself. Where would he go if he were Von Karma? Some place private, but someplace he could tolerate, and there were very few things that man tolerated. Maybe…

"Germany." Gregory said a little louder. "Von Karma is from Germany so he might have gone back home to give himself enough time to do as he wishes with them and provide himself an alibi. After all, the way the justice system works all he needs to do is create reasonable doubt, the bastard. Evidence is everything after all. And Von Karma is a master of making evidence appear or disappear for his benefit. Anything to keep his record perfect." It sickened him, really. But the court system wasn't about to change anytime soon the best he could do was act quickly and hope for the best.

The detective looked in Gregory's direction. "You really think Von Karma took those boys to Germany?"

Gregory nodded. "I'm sure of it."

"Sir, it's Von Karma's passport!" A policeman yelled hurrying into the meeting room, nearly out of breath. "When we were issuing the freeze on his passport the history reported its last use in an airport in Germany! I have the name of the airport right here, sir!"

The detective took the piece of paper offered to him and looked it over. "Well, it appears you were correct, Edgeworth. Now, someone get into communication with the German Police. Find out where this guy lives and if he has any other houses. Looks like we're going to Germany."

Gregory slowly rose from his sheet, trying to ignore the stiffness in his aging bones. "In that case, I'm going with you."

"Are you serious?! You can't do that!"

Narrowing his eyes, Gregory stood up. "I can, and I will, detective. You need me. I've gone against Von Karma in court more then any one else. Someone has to make sure the right amount of evidence is collected. Plus, I know how he thinks. " _Not to mention I have my own personal score I'd like to settle. Von Karma, I have all the evidence I need, expect one, and after all this time, I think I know where you're hiding it._

--

By the end of the day, Franziska had grown comfortable enough to join Phoenix and Miles on the bed. Miles became a little less annoyed with the little girl once she had shown her intelligence. Their hostility towards each other had faded as they exchanged their knowledge of everything that had to do with law. Phoenix added what he could, but he found himself content to watch the two speak to each other. Franziska seemed to enjoy it especially, even when their discussions had turned into little debates. In the short span of a few hours, the two almost seemed like siblings, which amused Phoenix. The two continued to discuss law at length, until, somehow, the subject that returned to the unborn infant growing inside Phoenix.

"So, what are you going to name it?" She asked, looking at Phoenix's swollen middle but not daring to touch it again. Franziska was pretty sure it was a baby, but there were other thoughts of what it could be lurking around in her head as well. She remembered once when she and her older sister and sneaked out of their rooms and into the room containing the only T.V. in the house and watched a rather frightening horror film about aliens popping out of people's stomachs. Franziska wouldn't admit to her sister how much it had frightened her, but was kind enough to let her sleep in her bed that night 'just in case'. Of course, that had been before her stupid sister decided to get married and leave her all alone. At least that was what papa had told her.

Phoenix pouted at the question. "I don't know. Miles won't let me name it anymore. He banned me from naming the baby after I suggested we name it Jerith. Something about the evils of David Bowie or some crap like that."

Franziska cracked a small smile, but it faded once she got a look at the clock on the wall. "We should go." She said to Miles. "If Papa finds us in here we'll both be in big trouble."

Miles frowned and looked over at Phoenix. He wasn't happy with the idea of having to leave, but the thought of what Von Karma would do to all three of them if he knew about this was far worse. Pressing a kiss to Phoenix's forehead, Miles followed the little girl out of the bedroom, leaving his boyfriend sitting at the edge of the bed.

Soon enough, he was back in his room, Franziska gone, and the door locked. With a sigh, Miles slumped against the wall that separated him from Phoenix and slid down to the floor.

"You know, for the spawn of a creepy lunatic, she's pretty nice." Phoenix voice floated through the wall.

The grey haired teen nodded, only remember Phoenix couldn't see him. "Yes, she turned out to be far more tolerable then I had first thought. It's a shame she has Von Karma for a father."

Phoenix had to agree. "Yeah, god only knows what he does to her. I mean, she didn't seem all that surprised to see me chained to a damn bed."

"I know…" Miles replied. Von Karma was capable of some frightening, unbelievable things. He had found that out seven years ago. And now here he was, being held captive along with his boyfriend and unborn child, completely at his mercy until help arrived.

If help arrives, came a nasty thought.

If…

For the first time since he had woken up in this strange place, Miles Edgeworth began to doubt he and Phoenix would make it out of here alive.

"Phoenix?"

"Yeah Miles?"

Miles' gaze lifted to the ceiling. He wasn't sure why. But his eyes just seemed to want to look there.

"You know I love you, right?"

There was a long pause from the other room. "Yeah, I know that." Phoenix replied, his voice was a tone that Miles wasn't familiar with. Perhaps it was because he was hearing it though the wall.

"I mean, I've told you I love you, right?"

The response was a little faster this time. "W-well, I don't think you've actually said it, but I always knew you did so you never had to say it."

Miles frowned as he bean to feel guilty for some reason. Had he never said it out loud before this point? Granted he had never been good at expressing those sorts of emotions verbally. But Phoenix seemed to understand that about him… and it touched Miles in a way he had never been before.

"Well, better late then never I guess." Miles said, forcing a chuckle. "I do love you Phoenix. I think I always have, just… in different ways. You were my best friend and suppose that is a type of love in and of itself. And then that love grew up along with us. I guess what I'm trying to say in between all of this babble, is it was wrong of me not to say it until now. I love you Phoenix, and I'm glad we're together."

The silence from the other room lasted so long, Miles wondered if he had said something wrong before Phoenix finally replied.

"I l-love you to Miles. Thank you."

Was it just him or did he hear Phoenix's voice crack? "Phoenix are you ok?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine." The other boy replied, his voice a bit more steady this time. "I was just caught a bit of guard. The way you're talking it feels like your preparing for the worst. Like… we're not going to make it out of here, you know?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Miles immediately replied. He wasn't to let Phoenix's mind fill up with doubts that were plaguing his own mind. "The police will be here soon, alright? I'm sure my father is right there making sure they go even faster. We are going to be fine Phoenix, I promise."

Looking back on it, Miles knew it had been a foolish promise to make. But he had been desperate to keep Phoenix calm.

Miles was relieved to hear he had been partially successful when he heard Phoenix's voice become more upbeat. "Yeah, your right Miles! All we have to do is keep from pissing the old man off and we'll be just fine till we get rescued. So, what do you want to do when we get out of here?"

The two continued to talk through the wall until Miles could hear Phoenix's soft snores. Getting up from the floor, Miles settled onto the bed and listened to his lover's snores for the rest of the night.

He didn't get even one wink of sleep.

--

The next morning, Miles stared at his bedroom door, waiting for Von Karma to arrive. The lack of sleep and made him a little twitchy and somewhat paranoid. Every little noise caused him to jump. He wasn't even sure why he was acting like this. He already knew what he had to do in order to keep Phoenix safe and Miles easily decided it was a small price to pay in order to keep the other boy safe.

The lock to the door clicked and opened.

Without a word, Miles removed his shirt.

Only to have Von Karma's horrible laugh reach his ears.

"Well, aren't we compliant today? As much as I enjoy seeing you so obedient, I don't think you just begging will have the desired effect today."

Miles didn't like the sound of that.

"In fact," Von Karma continued. "I think it's time to see just how far your willing to go to protect that atrocity of a man you call a lover."

Miles really didn't like the sound of that.

But it was the sound of a zipper being undone that made Miles' entire body go numb.

No way.

No _fucking_ way.

"On your knees Miles."

"_So… then he punched you? And you didn't hit him back?"_

_Thirteen year old Miles Edgeworth glared at his father. But the bag of ice covering his left eye made the task very difficult. "No, because you're the one who told me never to resort to violence."_

_Gregory sighed and looked at his son from across the kitchen table. "Miles, it wouldn't have been resorting, it would have been self defense. I've had countless clients who used self defense. Yes, you shouldn't use violence to solve all of your problems, but Miles, if a guy is wailing on you, I don't think your going to get in trouble if you hit him a few times to get him off you. Now if you, say, starting kicking him in the groin afterwards, then we'd need to have a talk."_

_Miles continued to glare through his one eye. "Your not helping. Not in the least."_

_The older Edgeworth shrugged. "You know, this all could have been solved if you had taken karate or something, but no, you wanted to play the flute, which you gave up when you were nine."_

"_Because Wright and Butz used it as a baseball bat and broke it…"_

_Gregory did his best to stifle a chuckle at that particular memory of an absolutely livid Miles coming home, holding his flute which had been bent to a nearly ninety degree angle. "So, what was this fight even about anyway, Miles?"_

_The younger boy shrugged. "He was going to hit Wright. So I pulled him away and told the guy the legal consequences of his actions… then he hit me."_

"_So… You were protecting Nick?"_

_A nod._

"_Miles." Gregory started, looking his son in the eyes (err.. eye) "It's perfectly alright to protect your friends, in fact it's rather noble of you. But don't let yourself be someone's punching bag or rag doll. You're a human being, and you have your pride. There are ways you can protect people you care about without completely throwing your pride out the window. Without pride, we're less then human. Just try not to get too full of yourself. I don't want my son becoming son becoming some little brat. Just… try to find a happy medium between the two."_

Miles wasn't sure why he was having _that_ flashback of all things, but the moment that disgusting piece of flesh was forced into his mouth, Miles decided it didn't really matter right now because he had reached his limit of what he'd forced to endure.

He bit down as hard as he could.

And thanked Phoenix for the idea.

The last thing Miles remembered was a pain filled roar before something hit the side of his head, causing him to crash into the wall.

Was it worth it?

Oh yeah, it was defiantly worth it.

Too bad he wasn't going to live long enough to enjoy it.

--

"You realize this is going to kill him, right?"

"That's the idea, yes."

The middle aged medical practitioner frowned to himself as he injected the syringe into the lower half of Phoenix's swollen stomach. The teen had been sedated some time ago, allowing the man to poke, prod, and inject as needed. "It's such a waste." He mentioned as he removed the syringe. "I have never seen a case such as this. Can I least perform an autopsy on him when he passes? I am most curious to see how his body allowed him to carry the fetus."

Von Karma shook his head. "No. His body is to be immediately disposed of." He said sternly, looking down at Phoenix with absolute disgust. "I mean it. If I find you kept any part of this… freak of a human, I'll have your head."

The doctor nodded and gave one last, longing look at the unmoving teen. It would such a shame to waste all of that knowledge. "Of course sir. But on a completely unrelated matter…"

"Yes?" Von Karma inquired.

"I noticed you are putting extensive weight on your cane today. Did something happen to you this morning?"

The doctor's answer was glare so fierce, so terrifying, that the man was sure his head would have exploded had Von Karma willed it.

--

Miles had many kinds of headaches throughout his life. The most common was the 'Larry and/or Phoenix have done something stupid' headache, which was nothing more then a dull throb behind his eyes. There was also the 'father is trying to be witty again' headache, which usually had Miles searching through the medicine cabinet for some Tylenol.

But all the headache pills in the world couldn't have cured this mother of all headaches.

The teen groaned into the carpet and opened his eyes. His vision was far too blurry for his tastes. Eventually, his eyesight cleared and Miles found himself staring into the bright blue carpet_._

_So… I'm alive after all. Good_. Moving his head to the side, Miles realized he was right next to the bed… Wait… this wasn't the bed from his room. His sheets weren't grey. And yes, he had taken notice of that. Not being able to sleep at night gave one a lot of time to notice things.

"M… Miles? A-are you awake?" Came the rather frantic sound of Phoenix voice.

Oh so he was with Phoenix. That was rather nice of the evil bastard. If his head wasn't killing he would have thought about how odd that was.

"...ugh… Y-yeah. But my head hurts pretty dammed ba-"

"Thank god your awake! I was calling you for like, three hours but you didn't say anything! I thought you dead!"

Miles groaned. Great, not Phoenix was hysterical. "Phoenix, for god's sake, I was just unconscious. You could have just rolled over here and taken a look for yourself…"

There was silence from on top of the bed. "…I…I can't move." He said at last.

With that, Miles fought back the dizziness and nausea and began to climb up onto the bed. "Phoenix, your pregnant, not invalid, sometimes I think you overre-"

The grey haired teen paused in his rant as his hand came into contact with something wet. Looking down, Miles was able to make out a large, dark, and wet stain on the bed and in between Phoenix's thighs.

Oh, that was just _gross._

Wiping his hand on a dry part of the sheets Miles began to rant once more. "Couldn't you have waited? Just because this place doesn't have a bathroom is no excuse for to-"

"It's not…it's not pee…" Phoenix replied in a small, nervous voice.

Miles looked at the spiky haired teen and for the first time, saw his panicked stricken face."

"Well if it's that then what is-oh…oh…"

Oh _fuck…_

---

A/N: Oh snap! Things aren't looking good are they? I'll try to get out the next chapter quickly since I know how it feels to be wait around forever waiting to find out what happens when an author tosses out a cliffhanger.

See you guys next time!


	16. Pride Goeth Before the Fall

A/N: So another nice long chapter for you guys. Now, normally I hate it when authors spoil the chapter trying to warn people of the stuff in their latest chapter, but after looking this over, I realized it's probably a good idea since not everything has a strong constitution.

Now I'll just give a fair warning: this chapter is pretty graphic I guess would be the best word for it.

Almost I'm not completely happy with how this came out, but it's defiantly better then the kink meme version.

So with that word of warning, on with the show!

---

Oh no. No, no, no, no, there was no way this was really happening. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. Miles had a very clear picture of how this was supposed to be. Back home on his calendar, he had circled June 29th. That was the day Phoenix, himself and his father would drive to Doctor Black Jack's, and have him deliver the baby via a c-section. No pain, no panic, just the plan.

But this…

This was Miles' absolute worst nightmare come to life.

"A-are you sure it's… you know… time?" He asked, grasping at the flimsy hope this was all just a misunderstanding.

Miles' answer was a pained groan and a nod of the head.

"B-But your not even at nine months! How the hell could this happen?" The gray haired teen's voice rose as panic began to make itself at home. What was he supposed to do? No one had planned for this. Miles had happily skipped over everything regarding labor and delivery in the pregnancy and baby books he had read, as did Phoenix. After all, the plan had for Black Jack to take the baby out of Phoenix's stomach because Phoenix would bleed to death if it came out of… well… _there_. And of course Black Jack had helpfully added the child probably wouldn't make in time and die of asphyxiation. Probably the doctor's way of encouraging them let him take care of the delivery.

But Black Jack was far away in America.

Miles and Phoenix were somewhere in Germany with a man that wanted them both dead.

Leaping off the bed, Miles sprinted for the door and all but threw himself against it. He knew the door was locked, but there had to be someway to get it open. He remembered Franziska's trick to unlock the door and started to look around the room for anything like a card or similar to it, but in the end, the room was bare of anything useful, just the bed, a wastebasket, himself and Phoenix. With a growl of frustration, Miles ran back to the door and slammed his shoulder into it, hoping to at least unhinge it. But all he succeeded in doing was giving himself a sore shoulder.

"Miles…" Phoenix groaned. "What the heck are you doing, now?"

The grey haired teen began to pound on the door relentlessly with his fists. "I'm getting help, Phoenix! He yelled back. "Someone in this god-forsaken place must have a shred of compassion left! Hey!" He called out as loud as could, hoping his voice would be heard. "We need a doctor! Or anyone! We need HELP!"

Phoenix watched Miles from his place on the bed. He was scared, he wasn't about to deny that, but perhaps one of the more frightening aspects was seeing Miles almost as frightened, if not more frightened then he was. In all of their friendship, Miles was rarely, if ever, frightened by anything, his fear of earthquakes notwithstanding. Even when Phoenix's pregnancy had been confirmed, he had held strong and didn't so much as flinch in fear as they entered the unknown territory of parenthood. (He did yell and scowl a lot, but Miles yelled and scowled about a lot of things). Suddenly, Phoenix felt another contraction and groaned as he dug his fingers into the soft blankets under him. God, this sucked.

He looked over at Miles and watched him as he continued to bang on the door. After about ten minutes, Phoenix noticed the other boy's hands were starting to bleed from the sheer force of the blows. He opened his mouth to tell Miles to stop when someone began to speak through the door.

"Well, looks like you finally woke up, Miles." A horribly familiar voice said with a chuckle that made Miles' and Phoenix's skin crawl. "I was afraid you'd still be face down on the floor and miss the show."

Miles grit his teeth. That bastard must have done something to cause Phoenix to go into labor. He had to be. Why else would he be placed in Phoenix's room like this? "You fucking monster!" He growled out, only to hear the prosecutor's laugh once more.

"You really are something, Miles Edgeworth. After what you did to me this morning, did you not think I wouldn't punish you? Your little act of rebellion will cost you your little boyfriend's life. I'll leave you to explain to him why his life is about to end."

Miles was speechless. How could this man do this? The teen grimaced when another one of Phoenix's pained moan reached his ears.

"Please, don't do this to him! You have a doctor! I'll do whatever you want, just help him!" Miles begged. He had been wrong to put his pride before Phoenix. It had been in the heat of the moment and he had forgotten what was at stake. And now I wasn't Miles who would be paying for it.

But Von Karma never answered, and Miles knew he had left them to their fate.

Miles sank to his knees, completely deflated. He stared at his bloody hands and slowly clenched them into fists.

No.

It couldn't just end like this.

Getting back on his feet, Miles climbed onto the bed and sat in front of the chain attached to the wall. If he could just detatch the bolt from the wall and free Phoenix, then he could at least get the other boy out of here once he got that door open. After all, Franziska was still out there. She might come back to visit. And the police must be getting close. They had to be.

"Don't worry, Phoenix, I'll get you out of here. Just hold on." He said as he removed his shoe and started slamming the heel of it on the bolt, hoping to jar it from the wall.

Phoenix slowly managed to prop himself up on his elbows and watched curiously. "Hey, Miles?"

"What?" Miles answered, still concentrating on getting the bolt loose, starting to feel even more agitated when he began to realize it wasn't loosening up in the least.

"What the hell was Von Karma talking about? Did you make him mad or something?"

The sound of the shoe hitting the bolt stopped as Miles finally realized that he hadn't even scratched the damn thing let alone loosened it up. And hearing Phoenix's inquiry just added to the oncoming rush of hopelessness.

"I'm sorry, Phoenix." Miles said, unable to look at the other boy. "I'm so sorry. I… I wasn't thinking clearly and when it happened I just couldn't think of anything else." And suddenly, the memories of what he had been put through and what he had nearly been forced to do rushed back into the front of Miles' mind so quickly he began to feel sick.

Phoenix held back a groan as another contraction started to build up. "W-what did you do? What happened?" The last part was rather rushed as the contraction fully hit and Phoenix curled up, hissing in pain. Once the pain had passed, Phoenix realized Miles didn't answer him and when he looked over at the grey haired teen noticed he was shaking.

"Miles? Are you alright? Did you want to talk about it."

He stared at Miles' back as the boy shook his head.

"No, I don't." Miles replied in a shaky voice. "I really don't."

Phoenix decided now wasn't the time to push the issue. "Alright, but when we get out of here, I think we should talk about it."

Miles' head whipped around so fast, Phoenix was sure he was going to have whiplash. He stared at Phoenix in disbelief. Did that spiky haired idiot really think they were going to get out of here alive? How could he say that like everything was going to be fine?

Even as Phoenix smiled reassuringly at him, it only seemed to increase Miles' feelings of guilt.

"Come on, Miles, it'll be alright. You said yourself the police or someone will get here soon. We just have to hold out until then."

Miles nodded as he started to gather the pillows on the bed to prop Phoenix up and try to make him a bit more comfortable.

"That's right, they'll be here anytime." But as time went by he knew he couldn't hold on to the hope of someone coming to the rescue.

They were on their own.

--

Six hours. It had been six hours since Miles had woken up on the floor of Phoenix's bedroom prison. It had been six hours since Phoenix's groans of pain had become cries of agony.

The blanket Phoenix had been gripping through each contraction now had small tears. The spiky haired teen was covered in a thick sheet of perspiration that Miles had unsuccessfully tried to attend to with a pillowcase he had removed. But there was only so much sweat a pillowcase could absorb.

No matter how many times he had heard it in the past six hours, each time Phoenix would cry out in pain Miles felt his heart tear in half. Never before had the grey haired teen felt so helpless. He had stopped trying to reassure Phoenix that the police would come for them. What would it matter? It was far too late now.

"M…Miles…" Phoenix whimpered, once the contraction had finally ended. "Could you…take off my… pants? They're sticking to my skin… hurts."

Miles glanced down at the other end of Phoenix's body he had been trying to ignore. "Al-alright." The teen averted his gaze as he grabbed the legs of Phoenix's pants and tugged them off as quickly as he could while trying to hurt Phoenix anymore then he already was. Suddenly Phoenix's body arched up and another cry of pain left his mouth. Miles all but threw the pants aside and looked up at his boyfriend who barley had time to catch his breath before another contraction hit.

Hurrying back to his place right next to Phoenix, Miles failed to the notice the puddle of blood beginning to form underneath the spiky haired teen.

--

"Papa?"

"What is it Franziska?"

Franziska looked up from her practice bar exam. Normally she wasn't one to question her father's wishes, she knew better then to do that, but she had just taken a practice bar exam the other day and she had passed it perfectly. Not the mention she wanted to go see Miles and Phoenix again. They may have been older then her, but those two fools needed someone to look after them or goodness knows what trouble they would get in to without her to look after them.

"Must I take this exam again? The last exam was perfect so I believe I have proved that I no longer need to take it."

The little girl watched as her father shook his head. "Franziska, it is vital that you keep this practice exam fresh in your mind until you are ready to take the real thing. I will not accept anything less then perfection from you."

Franziska held back a sigh of frustration, instead looking back down at the practice exam. "Yes, papa." She answered obediently.

"Good. Now, once you are finished you will go to your room immediately and no where else." And the Von Karma left. No farewell, no good byes, nothing. Just like always.

Slipping her hand in her dress pocket, Franziska ran her small fingers over her worn playing card and decided she would take the chance and visit Miles and Phoenix once she was finished.

Hopefully those fools would manage without her until then.

--

"Miles! Miles it hurts! God, just make it _stop_!"

In just one short hour everything had gone to hell. Suddenly, Phoenix had begun screaming that something was coming out and was now sobbing against Miles' chest as the grey haired teen held him and helplessly looked on.

"Shh… it'll be over soon." Miles said softly as Phoenix entire body tensed up. Miles tried not to imagine what it was exactly that was causing Phoenix so much pain. Instead, he tightened his embrace as his boyfriend buried his face in Miles' chest in a failed attempt to muffle a scream. What else could he do? Should he tell him to push or to hold it in? Did Phoenix know how to do either? It didn't matter anymore. Either way, Phoenix was going to die from exhaustion or blood loss, whatever came first. Tears of frustration pricked Miles' eyes as the hopelessness of the situation sunk in completely.

There was nothing he could do but watch.

Without warning, Phoenix suddenly lurched forward and Miles felt the other teen's whole body tense up and staying that way.

"W-what are doing?!" Miles managed to ask, not even bothering to keep the panic out of his voice.

"Co…coming out." Phoenix panted. "Gotta get it out… look and see how far-AHH! Oh _god_…"

Miles turned as white as a sheet. He hadn't even so much as glanced down at that area. Even from here he could see some of the blood and… other fluids Miles would rather not see again. "Phoenix… I-I can't…I j-just can't." He felt ashamed as he said it, but Miles knew that if he looked down there, he'd probably pass out. The just the thought of what me might made the teen lightheaded and the last thing on earth he wanted to do right now was pass out.

Any answer Phoenix would have given was cut off by another scream. Only this time, he didn't stop. Miles kept his hold on his boyfriend as he cried and screamed. Anything he tried to say only came out in incoherent sentences, though he did pick up something about tearing, which Miles really tried not to think about. Eventually, the grey haired teen shut his eyes, trying to block out everything. The sights, the sounds, Miles wasn't sure how much he could take.

Suddenly, Phoenix entire body went slack. The only sound on the room was Phoenix's heavy, slow breathing as Miles carefully laid the other boy back down against the pillows.

"'id it mil…I di..id…it…"

Miles looked down at the teen in his arms, trying to make out what he had said, but Phoenix said no more. "You what? You…did it?"

Then it clicked.

And then Miles was hit by another sudden bout of nausea as he realized that the child Phoenix had struggled to bring into the world had probably suffocated a while ago, like Doctor Black Jack had explained so long ago.

As much as it pained Miles, he knew Phoenix deserved to at least have a look at the baby. Steeling himself for the task at hand, Miles slowly moved to the foot of the bed, praying he wouldn't pass out or vomit, or worse and do both.

There, in between a mess of blood and Phoenix's thighs was a mass of flesh.

Moving flesh.

_Holy shit._

Ripping off a pillowcase from the nearest pillow, Miles wrapped the mass up to avoid getting all of the blood on him. As Miles began to wipe off the blood and the other nasty looking gunk off with a corner of the case, he was surprised to find a small, wrinkly infant underneath it all. Suddenly it began to cough then let loose and loud indignant wail, announcing its displeasure at the sudden change of scenery.

Miles stared in fascination unable to believe that this child, this infant, was his and Phoenix's.

_Phoenix!_

"Phoenix, it's alive!" Miles announced, as he turned towards the other boy, unable to believe what had happened. "You really did it! It's a boy. We have a…"

But Phoenix wasn't talking.

He wasn't moving.

The only indication Phoenix was even alive was his slow and shallow breathing.

Miles reached over and put a hand on Phoenix's cheek. He was still warm. Maybe that meant Phoenix was going to be ok. For the moment, Miles decided to focus on their new son who was still making good use of his lungs and from what Miles could remember that was a good thing. So the biggest problem Miles could make out was the umbilical cord that still bound the infant and his 'mother'. Was it ok for it not to be cut right now? And if it wasn't how the hell was he supposed to cut it without a knife? He had seen one guy cut an umbilical cord with his teeth in a movie once, but Miles was sure he'd lose his lunch if he tried that.

Finally, the baby seemed to calm down a little bit and was now staring up at Miles with wide, blue eyes. Miles looked right back down at the baby marveling at the resemblances he and Phoenix shared with this little person. It was the most amazing thing he had ever seen before. Smiling, Miles gently stroked the baby's cheek. He was perfect; from his wrinkly body right up to the unruly patch of black hair on his head.

_And to think I wanted to give you away. _Miles thought to himself with a large smile as he continued to look the child over.

But the peaceful moment didn't last very long. The sound of the door being unlocked froze the teen in his place.

Daring to look away from his son, Miles instinctively held the infant closer as Von Karma and a man he'd never seem before enter the room.

At that moment, Miles had never wished harder for his father's presence then he did now.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise." The man said, looking at the baby in Miles' arms. "I was fully expecting the child to die along with its parent. In fact, it's almost impossible for it to have survived at all. But the human body is an amazing creation-"

"That's enough." Von Karma snapped. He was in no mood for games. The infant surviving complicated things. He needed to end this as soon as possible. "Take it away and dispose of it."

Terror gripped Miles' entire being. Holding his child in a protective grip, he began to scoot away. A plan. He had to think of a plan. He had to protect Phoenix and the baby, which was going to be a bit of a challenge considering they were no longer a package deal, so to speak. As Miles scooted closer to Phoenix he started to become aware of how wet his pants had suddenly gotten.

Looking down for a quick glance, the teen froze and choked back the bile and rose up in his throat. His pants were almost soaked in blood and the source was from the only place Phoenix had forced their child through, which he could now see was bloodied and torn beyond all recognition.

Taking advantage of Miles' horrified stupor, Von Karma's physician quickly pulled out a syringe from his coat pocket and stuck the teen in the arm. Before Miles could even react, he collapsed on the bed next to Phoenix. The last moment Miles remembered was hearing his son crying as he was torn from his father's weakening grip.

--

"I want that thing disposed of within the hour. If you fail to do so, the consequences will be dire."

The doctor merely nodded as Von Karma left the examination room deep within the von Karma estate. The infant lay on the examination table, still wrapped up in the bloody pillowcase. It was beginning to fuss again, but for what the man had no clue, nor did he really care.

Euthanasia. He decided. It was simple, quick and effective. Unfortunately the lethal medicine was currently being kept in a small, tightly shed in the furthest part of the backyard just on the edge of the neighboring forest. Grabbing the keys to the shed from a drawer, the doctor left the infant and shut the door.

As the man hurried down the hallway, a small figure dashed out from around one of the many potted houseplants hurried inside the examination room and soon the cries of the newborn were silenced.

--

Miles didn't know how long he had been out, but once he got a look at Phoenix he knew it had been far too long. The spiky hair teen's face was almost as white as the sheets he lay on. If Phoenix was even breathing, it was far too shallow to tell. Miles dared to look further down again. This time, Miles was unable to hold his nausea down and clamored off the bed and emptied his stomach into the wastebasket.

Almost the entire lower half of the bed was stained in blood. And, not only that, but that doctor had cut his son's umbilical cord while he had been knocked out and left it there along with a disgusting bloody mass that Miles later learned was the placenta. Dealing with it as quickly as possible, Miles wrapped it all up in the last clean pillowcase and shoved it off the bed with his foot where he wouldn't have to see it anymore.

Now that that was taken care of, Miles focused his attention of Phoenix and trying to get him to stop bleeding. Not having anything else, Miles took the remaining blankets and pressed them up against the wound, but as each blanket quickly soaked in blood, Miles began to feel overwhelmed by the hopelessness of it all.

His son was taken and probably dead by now and Phoenix was well on his way to joining him.

"Mi…les…"

The grey haired teen's eyes widened when he heard the weak sound of Phoenix's voice.

"Phoenix!" Miles moved closer to Phoenix's face so he could hear him better. _God, he's so pale… but he's awake and he's talking. That's good… right?_

Phoenix smiled tiredly when he finally saw Miles. "Hey… 'member… those girls in health class… told us that guy were wusses… and wouldn't be able to… handle child birth? Kick 'em… in the ovaries… next time you see them…"

Miles managed a small, strained chuckle. "I'm just… glad to see you're ok." He said and reached out to touch Phoenix's cheek only to have his smile fade. _He's so cold. He shouldn't… He shouldn't be this cold._

"Phoenix, I-I think you should stop talking." Miles said, trying to stay calm. "Save up your strength, ok?"

"Where's…the baby?"

Miles knew he shouldn't have been surprised at the question. It was only natural. But what could he say? Von Karma took it and probably killed it while you and I were passed out? "Remember the doctor Franziska was telling us about? He… he took the baby to make sure he was healthy." Miles looked down at Phoenix's hand and took it in his own. He detested lying to Phoenix. But he couldn't bare to tell the Phoenix the truth.

The truth was far too cruel.

And Phoenix was getting weaker.

The spiky haired teen was silent for a while Miles was worried Phoenix might not have believed him, but he eventually nodded. "I see… what's… his name?"

"What…w-what would you like his name to be?" Miles asked, cursing to himself as his voice began to crack.

Phoenix stared at Miles, not sure if he heard correctly. "'thought I… wasn't allowed… all my names are… retarded… 'member?"

Miles felt his eyes start to sting. God, even Phoenix's voice was getting weaker. He could barely hear him, even this close. "No they weren't." Miles whispered, hoping it would help keep his steady. "They were… charming."

Phoenix looked up at the ceiling in thought when suddenly, his pale face lit up, if only for a moment.

"Hayden." He said at last.

Miles had to admit he was a little surprised. It was a nice name. It really was. "Hayden… I like it. Where'd you come with it?"

"Last week… saw it in the book and…liked it." Phoenix replied. "I know… you wanted… Atticus… maybe that could be his… middle name?"

Miles nodded slowly. "Hayden Atticus. It's… perfect. Suits him." He said and gently placed a kiss on Phoenix forehead. Phoenix remained still for a long time, staring at the ceiling. Miles wasn't sure if it was because he was lost in thought or if Phoenix was too weak to do anything else.

"Miles?"

"Hm?"

"Hayden….isn't coming…back… is he?"

"Don't be stupid." Miles replied sternly. "Of course he is."

Phoenix sighed and shut his eyes. "Hope… soon… so tired…"

Panic seized Miles as he grabbed Phoenix shoulders. "Phoenix, don't you dare! He's going to come back, just stay awake a little longer!"

Nothing.

_Oh god no…_

Miles began to shake Phoenix's shoulders in an attempt to rouse him. But the other teen was as limp as a rag all. His body was so cold. The tears Miles had tried to hold back throughout his entire ordeal spilled over as he continued to shake Phoenix's still body. "Phoenix! Phoenix! Don't you do this to me! Don't you die! Phoenix!" Miles voice rose higher and higher as he shook Phoenix's body has hard as he could. But, the teen's body was unresponsive.

Miles finally let go and stared at Phoenix in complete disbelief.

_I… I couldn't do it. I couldn't protect him. He's… gone. He left me behind. I don't… have anything left._

Hanging his head, Miles Edgeworth wept.

It didn't matter anymore.

No one was there to see him.

--

The shed was nothing spectacular. It wasn't any different then a garden shed. The only exception being no one was allowed inside except for the doctor and Von Karma himself.

The man quickly found the key he was looking for and stuck it in the lock. Once he had the lock undone, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.

Or, he would have had someone not grabbed his shoulder.

"I wouldn't move if I were you, pal."

The doctor dared to look behind him at the owner of that voice. It was a policeman, an _American_ policeman. But what was really off putting was the sixteen American and German officers behind the one cutting off his circulation in his shoulder.

The term 'we're fucked' couldn't even begin to express the doctor's current mindset.

--

A/N: I know I said this before and I'll say it again.

Please don't kill me.


	17. Times They are a Changin' or something

In the course a few minutes, the police had dragged the medical practitioner back to one of the many vans parked just outside the Von Karma mansion and raided the shed to inspect its contents.

"I don't even know what half of this shit is" One of the policemen said as he looked at one of the bottles. "Isn't this what they use when they execute someone? This guy is one sick fuck." Exiting the shed, the lieutenant turned to the officer who had first grabbed the doctor.

"Gumshoe, take a few of these bottles back to the van so we can examine these more closely. They could be valuable evidence. And be sure to let Edgeworth know what's going on so maybe he'll finally shut up." He still couldn't believe that man had somehow argued his way onto the plane. They would have figured out the location of Von Karma's vacation home eventually…

"Alright, I'll tell him when he get back!" Gumshoe said as he started to walk away.

The lieutenant nodded, only to realize what the man had just said. "When he gets _back_? Gumshoe, where the hell did he _go_?!"

--

_What the hell am I doing?_

Thinking back on it, Gregory realized that it probably would have been a good idea to wait until the police entered the gigantic estate. But the moment this place had come into sight, all Gregory could think about were the two boys inside and the madman who put them there.

Opening yet another door, Gregory felt his frustration growing as it led to yet another empty room_. What is the deal with this place? I haven't run into a single person while I've been in here. No housekeepers or gardeners or anything. Is Von Karma really that paranoid?_

Reaching the end of hallway, Gregory decided that now was an excellent time to go back outside. This had been a very stupid idea that the defense attorney had acted upon at the spur of the moment and this could end badly if he kept going alone.

Gregory made it halfway down the hall before one of the doors flew open and a large hand grabbed him by his shirt and yanked him inside.

Oh shitballs.

Now, face-to-face with Manfred von Karma, Gregory was very certain that this had been a _very_ stupid idea.

_Alright, Gregory, this isn't any different then facing von Karma in court. He's just… a little bit closer, that's all. And a lot more likely to hurt me… damn._

Despite his apprehension, Gregory looked von Karma dead in the eye. He couldn't show this man any fear or weakness. Years of facing off against the prosecutor had shown him that von Karma was a master at discovering and exploiting failings in people, especially ones that he knew.

"What do you think you are doing here Edgeworth?" the older man demanded in a deceptively calm voice.

"I came for the boys." Gregory replied, silently praising his firm tone. "Where are they?"

The chuckle that came out of von Karma's mouth chilled the defense attorney to the bone. As of now, von Karma had the upper hand. After all, the police had no clue that he had run off into the mansion in some half assed rescue attempt. Oh yes, this had truly been a terrible idea.

"Boys, you say? I don't know what you're talking about, Edgeworth."

Gregory began to consider his words carefully. Should he treat this like the courtroom? Perhaps. After all, he was privy some pretty damming evidence, which could give him the upper hand. He had done it once before. Sure, Von Karma tried to kill him in an elevator after getting him penalized, but hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

_Or puts you in a coma…_

"My boys, Phoenix and my son, Miles. I know you took them. I have a witness that saw you both taser and kidnap them. We have more then enough evidence to convict you for it. In fact, the police are on their way inside even as we speak." The look of anger that crossed von Karma's face filled Gregory with confidence. He had Von Karma now. There was no way he could talk his way out of this. However, the defense attorney's self assurance was short lived when the hand that still gripped Gregory's shirt shoved him against the wall.

A familiar panic began welling up within Gregory, something that hadn't occurred for a good while. Maybe he shouldn't have blurted out that bit about the police. After all, Von Karma knew he had been caught and therefore had nothing to loose. And Gregory knew very well that men who had nothing loose were the most dangerous type. Out of reflex, he reached into his pocket to grab the bottle of pills that he no longer had.

Of course, Von Karma noticed this and nearly grinned at the knowledge of once more gaining the upper hand. "What's wrong Edgeworth? Still having panic attacks? Do you still have to be carried of the courthouse whenever a rape victim gives their testimony?"

Gregory grit his teeth and scowled deeply. It shouldn't have surprised him that von Karma would have kept tabs on him after the incident in the courthouse seven years ago. _Just one day of going without those dammed pills… _Shaking his head of those thoughts, Gregory knew he had to push through. The boys, _his_ boys were here somewhere and he was going to find them.

But first, he had to finish what should have ended a long time ago.

"I've had seven years to get over that. But that isn't the issue at hand, and you know it." The defense attorney said, his voice starting to gain back its confidence. "You kidnapped those boys and police are about to take you in. They intend to charge you with kidnapping. _I_, however, want to you to be charged with attempted murder for seven years ago."

To say Von Karma didn't look happy would have been the understatement of a lifetime. The prosecutor tightened his grip on Gregory's shirt and with his other hand reached into his pocket.

_Crap…_

"And tell me, Edgeworth, what proof do you have now that you did not have seven years ago?" Von Karma's voice was dangerously low and Gregory did not doubt that whatever the man had in his pocket would be very, very painful. There was no time left. He had to act now.

A confident smirk slowly appeared on Gregory's features.

"I found the second bullet."

It all happened so fast. The defense attorney didn't have time to remember the surprised look on Von Karma's face as Gregory slammed his fist into the prosecutor's right shoulder.

The next thing Gregory recalled was Von Karma on the floor gripping his shoulder and cursing him in both English and German. The defense attorney stared at his own fist in amazement. For years he had dreamed of hitting von Karma, but dreaming about it, and actually doing it were two entirely different things.

For one, his hand hurt like a motherfucker.

The sound of footsteps broke Gregory out of his stupor. He turned and looked at the doorway as two police officers stepped inside.

The larger one looked slightly panicked and out of breath. "There you are, pal! If we don't get back to the van the lieutenant is gonna chew out our- what did you do?" Gumshoe asked, looking down at the man on the floor who looked to be in a lot of pain and really pissed off.

Unfortunately he never received a proper answer as Gregory dashed out of the room yelling something along the lines of "Bullet in shoulder," and "Self defense."

The smaller officer sighed and grabbed his handcuffs. "You'd better go after him, Gumshoe. I'll cuff this guy and call backup. You might want to cuff that Edgeworth guy to when you catch him so he'll stop runnin' around."

With a nod of his head, Gumshoe took off after the runaway defense attorney, promising himself this would be the last time he'd chase after an Edgeworth.

--

Gregory sighed as he looked up the staircase that led to the second floor. He could hear the police entering the large estate. It was about damn time. As he made the first step, he caught sight of a large ring of keys uncharacteristically left on the little table next to the staircase. Grabbing the keys, the defense attorney hurried up the steps.

He was thankful he had grabbed the keys since just about every room was locked. And it wasn't until he made it to the last door at the end of the hall when his senses told him that something wasn't quite right.

The first thing that assaulted Gregory's senses was the smell of blood, which made the man's heart nearly seize. Were they too late to save Miles and Nick? Even before he opened the door, the smell was so strong he could practically taste it. His hand hovered over the door handle and he hesitated only for a moment before he took a deep breath and opened the door to a scene that would haunt Gregory for the rest of his life. There, on a bed drenched in blood, sat his son, Miles, hunched over the body of Nick.

_Oh no…_

"Miles!" Gregory hurried over to his son. The teen's body was wracked with sobs that he didn't bother to hold back. Even when the older man put his hands on Miles' shoulders he didn't even respond until Gregory tried to pull him away. It was then Miles turned around and Gregory was able to take in the sight of his only child's face streaked with tears, his normally well kept hair sticking to his wet face, and blood covering his hands and shirt.

"Miles." Gregory said again, forcing himself to stay calm. "Miles, what happened?"

The boy in question tore himself away from his father's grip. "He's dead, that's what happened! He's DEAD!" Miles cried, fisting his hands in the remainders of the bloody sheets.

"Miles." Gregory tried again, making his voice more stern in an attempt to bring his son out of his hysterics. But Miles kept on.

"I couldn't save him! The baby… H-he was bleeding so much! If I hadn't angered Von Karma he never would have…"

"Miles!"

"It's my fault! I'm the one that should be dead! It's my fault!"

With a heavy sigh, the defense attorney realized that at the moment, his son was beyond words and raised his hand.

A sharp slap silenced the hysterical teen.

Miles looked up at his father, gripping his reddening cheek with a shocked expression.. Never before had his father raised a hand to him. Ever. The teen took a deep shuddering breath as his father placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Miles." Gregory began again, this time having his son's attention. "Do you remember what I said about panic? If you let panic take over then it makes you useless. Now, tell me what happened."

Miles looked over at Phoenix's body and felt the tears return with a vengeance. "Ph-Phoenix… Von Karma did something to him and he w-went into labor." Miles took another deep breath, attempting to take his father's advice and preferably not get slapped again. "He h-had the baby, but he was bleeding so much. Von Karma and some other man took the baby away and Phoenix… oh god." Miles didn't know whether to cry or be sick as the memory of it flooded back once again.

Gregory looked over at Nick's body. He let go of his son and reached out to touch the spiky haired boy's cheek.

It was so cold.

From his spot on the bed, Miles watched his father's hand slowly side from Phoenix's cheek to just under his jaw. He opened his mouth to tell the older man that looking for the pulse of a dead person was completely useless but Gregory opened his mouth first.

"Miles, did you ever check Nick's pulse?" He asked, his voice a little shaky as he removed his fingers from Phoenix's neck.

Not daring to let his hope get the better of him, Miles reached out with bloody fingers and pressed them just under Phoenix's jaw. Feeling nothing, Miles began to feel anger well up inside him. How dare his father attempt to raise his hopes like that?! He of all people, knew how it felt to have the person you care for most die and leave you behind with nothing more then a shell of body and empty dreams that would never come to pass.

Then he felt it.

_Thump… thump…thump._

"Alive."

"Miles?"

"He's alive…"

"What?"

"He's alive! He's alive!" Miles repeated over and over again and getting louder each time. Phoenix hadn't left him. He was still here and still alive, if only barely.

Gregory slowly began to smile in relief as he saw hope return in his son's eyes. As he removed his jacket wrap Phoenix up and get the boy to a hospital, he noticed the chain that bound him to the bed. Not a single one of the keys on the key ring worked. This wasn't good. How were they supposed to get this off?

To the defense attorney's relief, the solution came stomping through the door a few moments later, sweaty and more then a little annoyed.

"Oh hey, you found the boys-…oh." Officer Gumshoe grimaced as he caught sight of Phoenix. Sticking his head out of the door he shouted down the hall.

"Hey pal, could we get a body bag in here?!"

"Gumshoe, he's alive dammit!" Gregory snapped. "And he needs to get the hell out of here!"

The officer looked back towards Phoenix. "Really? Then we gotta get him to hospital." He said as he walked towards the bed where Phoenix lay, not nearly as affected by the amount of blood as Gregory and Miles had been and inspected the chain around the unconscious boy's ankle. "Man, this guy must be pretty sick in the head to do something like this, huh? Good thing this chain isn't that thick." He muttered as he reached into back pocket and pulled out a Swiss army knife, which Gregory was pretty certain wasn't standard issue.

As Gumshoe pulled back to the ends of the knife and revealing a pair of surprisingly sharp clippers, Gregory couldn't help but ask. "Not that I'm not glad, Gumshoe, but is there any reason you just happen to carry around one of those things? The police budget can't be all that bad, can it?"

The officer in question just grinned as he cut the chain binding Phoenix to the bed with a grunt of effort. "Always be prepared, pal. You aren't always going to have the Jaws of Life or something on hand. 'Course my boss isn't too happy about it. Says I'll never be a detective if keep it up." Slipping the device back into his pocket, he easily gathered Phoenix in his arms and lifted him up without any effort. "Wow, you sure this kid is alive? He doesn't weigh a thing!"

"_Yes_." Gregory stressed, once he saw Miles' eyes widen. "Now get him outside and into the ambulance." The defense attorney nearly sighed in relief when the officer nodded and hurried out of the room, shouting at the incoming police to make way. _God, the day that man becomes a detective will be the day I hand in my badge and retire…_

Still, now that Nick was safe and on his way to the hospital, there was only one more unpleasant issue to deal with. Turning to his son who had thankfully stayed and not followed Gumshoe out of the house, he found himself almost hesitant to ask. "Miles, you said the baby was born alive, right?"

Miles nodded. "Yes, and Von Karma and another man took him away soon after." The teen's hands balled up into fists as he remembered his son being torn out of his arms and taken away to be 'disposed of'. "I'm sure they've had more then enough to do as they wished with him, those bastards."

But Gregory wasn't about to give up hope just yet. "You never know, Miles. God has a funny way of letting things happen or not happen. He might still be alive, waiting for us to find him." He couldn't help but chuckle at the look of disbelief on his son's face. "Oh come now, Miles, we used to go to church all the time."

"No we didn't." Miles replied flatly as he followed his father out of bedroom. "We went for two months after the courthouse earthquake and then once on Easter three years ago because they were serving a free breakfast."

Miles tuned out his father's excuses and his feigned offense. It hadn't really been all that surprising that he mentioned God. It was the way his father had spoken about Him, that caught him off guard.

The last time his father had attempted to use talk of God to comfort Miles had been over twelve years ago when his mother had died.

--

After about an hour of searching through bedrooms and kitchens and storage closets, and weaving around dozens of police officers gathering evidence, both Gregory and Miles began to loose the hope that had been burning so brightly. Miles knew it was probably time to accept the fact that the baby was gone and they probably wouldn't even be able to bring a body home to bury.

If massive internal bleeding didn't kill Phoenix then the news that their son was dead would probably finish the job.

Miles ran a hand through his hair in frustration, only to realize he still had dried blood on his hands.

Ew…

The teen heard his father sigh heavily and knew that the older man was probably sharing his thoughts. Without a word the two slowly navigated their way out of the Von Karma estate. Gregory silently wrapped an arm around Miles' shoulder as they walked, knowing there were no words that could possibly make this situation any less painful.

There are no words that can comfort a parent who has lost a child, even if one has only been a parent for a few hours, the attachment and the love is already there and just as strong as those who have been parents for many years. The sudden loss and constant questions of what might have been echo through their minds. For Miles Edgeworth, he was no exception. The darkness of despair started to grip at Miles' entire being before he even reached the front door.

But then what could only be described as a ray of light burst forth and banished the darkness completely.

It was a sound Miles had only heard once before, but it was one he'd never forget.

His son's cries.

And there, standing in the doorway leading to the outside world, was Franziska Von Karma, holding a tiny, fussing, pink bundle.

Miles' legs nearly gave out when he reached the little girl and looked down at his son, his Hayden, squirming, crying, and proving to his father he was alive and well.

Franziska held the infant out and let Miles gather Hayden up in his arms. She tried to not look as relieved as she felt to be around Miles and not the strange policeman that had overrun her home. It had been surprising enough when she had seen her father and their doctor walking down into the basement where the examination room was located carrying the baby that Phoenix claimed was inside him. Franziska's curiosity overrode the possibility of severe consequences and she had followed the two adults and hidden herself.

Needless to say it had come as a bit of a shock when she overheard her father wanting the baby to be disposed of, and Franziska was intelligent enough to understand what that meant.

To this day, Franziska was never able to explain why she chosen to defy her father and take the infant from the examination room and into her bedroom. Every instinct told her it was a foolish idea, but before she could give herself time to re-think it, she was carefully cleaning the baby off and wrapping him up in one of her blankets. Everything had gone fine until she decided that the baby needed clothes and attempted to use some of her old doll's dresses he began to cry. Franziska, not knowing the first thing about taking care of infants, decided it was time to give the baby back to his parents.

Franziska had been halfway down the stairs when she had run into more police officers then the little girl had ever seen before. They spoke to her in both English and German quickly became overwhelmed as they attempted to get her and the baby outside while asking countless question. Had she not spotted Miles, Franziska probably would have made a dash for the forest. Not that she was scared or anything, no. Future prosecutors didn't get frightened or scared. She just didn't like so many people talking to her at once.

But now here she was, next to Miles holding the baby like his life depended on it. The older man next to Miles reached out and adjusted Miles' hands so he could hold the infant properly.

"Thank you Franziska." Miles finally said, not taking his eyes off of Hayden who was just now starting to calm down. "I didn't think I'd ever see Hayden again." Franziska just nodded and looked behind Miles and Gregory and frowned when she realized someone was missing.

"Where did that fool, Phoenix get off to? Did he get lost or something?" Franziska wouldn't put it past that fool. He had been nice, granted, but he didn't seem like he was the sharpest tool in the shed.

She felt a twinge of worry in her stomach when Miles' expression darkened. "He's on his way to the hospital." Miles didn't go into any more detail and thankfully Franziska didn't inquire further. However, her little eyes narrowed as she grabbed one of Miles' sleeves. "Well, don't just stand there, you fool! We need to get to the hospital too! We can't just leave that fool all by himself! Come on!"

"Ah, wait! Quit pulling, I'm coming!" Miles yelled at the little girl who continued to drag the older boy towards the nearest car.

Gregory followed close behind, trying to look amused. He would have to clear it with the police, but hopefully they would let the girl come. But first, he had one last task before driving out to the hospital.

He hoped that Black Jack wouldn't mind taking a trip to Germany.

--

Miles hated hospitals.

It had been so long since he had been forced inside of one that he had forgotten just how deep his hatred ran for them.

The waiting room itself seemed particularly evil. The small room, containing nothing more then uncomfortable wooden chairs, and a television turned on some German news program that Miles couldn't even begin to care about. The teen's entire body felt sore and stiff from sleeping in his chair and holding Hayden in his arms. He hadn't allowed anyone else to hold the infant since his son had been returned to him yesterday, telling anyone that tried to take Hayden that the next person that would hold him would be Phoenix.

Of course, it had seemed like a good idea at the time. But once Miles had been given a fresh shirt and a chance to clean up, he had realized just how difficult it was changing a shirt and washing your hands while holding a baby. But he had managed somehow and now he found himself staring at the most evil part of every hospital in existence.

The dreaded double doors that separated himself from Phoenix.

Black Jack had hurried through those doors a short time ago, without so much as hello, which Miles was fine with at the moment. Anything was fine as long as Phoenix would be saved. But a small, nagging little voice in back of his mind told him it might already be too late.

Miles tensed as a doctor came through the double doors only to pass by the waiting area without so much as a glance. The teen sighed a little but couldn't find it in him to relax. Looking down at his son, who slept peacefully, blissfully unaware that his other father was fighting for his life just on the other side of those dammed doors, Miles pulled Hayden a little closer to his chest.

Phoenix couldn't die. He hadn't even seen their son yet. What sort of parent would even think about dying and leaving their child behind?

"_Daddy, can we go visit mamma, now? I've been waiting forever!"_

_Four-year-old Miles Edgeworth looked up at his father impatiently. The little boy had been forced to wait in the children's waiting room for what seemed like an eternity because one of momma's doctors wanted to talk to daddy._

_Grown ups spent way too much talking._

"_Miles…" his daddy seemed to be having a lot of trouble talking. The little boy's eyes widened a little when his daddy suddenly fell to his knees and pulled Miles into a hug._

"_Daddy… what's going on?"_

_Miles felt his daddy start to shake a little and suddenly he felt very frightened._

_Something bad had happened._

"_Miles. Your mom… remember how she's been sick for a very long time?"_

_Miles nodded. How could he not remember? They had even spent Christmas in the hospital because the doctors didn't want to let her go home!_

"_Well… God decided that mom shouldn't be in any more pain. So he sent an angel down to take her to heaven so she won't hurt anymore. I'm sorry Miles."_

_The little boy began to panic. "B-but when is she coming back?! God's gonna let her come back, right?!"_

_Miles' father's voice was just as shaky as his body. He pulled Miles even closer and held the little boy tightly. "I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, Miles. When God takes someone to heaven, their body dies. Mom isn't coming back."_

_Miles didn't remember much about his mother. His short time with her had faded from his memory over time._

_But the day Malinda Edgeworth passed from this world remained forever imprinted in the young man's mind._

"Miles, are you alright?"

Miles snapped out of his thoughts as father's voice brought him back to the present.

"What am I saying? Miles, you look like shit. Let me hold Hayden for a little bit you can rest up a little." Gregory offered, reaching out for his grandson.

Miles, however, shook his head. "No. I'm fine. No one else is going to hold Hayden until Phoenix gets to hold him."

Gregory looked at his son sadly. "Miles…" He started, but decided that getting into a fight about this again wouldn't be the wisest thing to do at the moment. Instead, he changed the subject to something else.

"So, how did you decide to name him Hayden?" He asked, glancing down at his slumbering grandson.

"It was Phoenix's idea, actually." Miles answered, trying not to think of the memory of watching the life drain from the other boy as they spoke of naming their son. He had to think positive thoughts. "I chose the middle name, though. Hayden Atticus Wright."

"Wright?" Gregory asked, more then a little surprised. "Didn't you two have a huge fight about that a few weeks ago? You didn't speak to each other for three days… and I think Nick did something funny to your toothbrush. When did you two finally decide?"

Miles shook his head. "We didn't. I decided he should take Phoenix's last name in case he… he…" the teen couldn't bring himself to say it out loud. "Hayden may be the only piece of Phoenix I have left…" Miles struggled to keep his composure, but the tears seemed to come no matter how hard he tried to hold them back.

To his surprise, Miles found himself wrapped up in his father's arms in a gentle embrace.

"It's not over yet, Miles. There's still hope."

"But what if he really dies?!" Miles cried burying his face in his father's chest. "What do I do if Phoenix dies?!"

Gregory let out a strained sigh as he watched his son break down. He wanted nothing more then to continue holding Miles and tell him everything would be fine. But the older man he had to let go, and help Miles stay strong, for his own son's sake.

"You go on." Gregory finally answered and slowly pulled away from his son. "You'll mourn, you'll cry, you'll curse at God, but you'll have to go on because that little boy in your arms will need you to feed him, care for him and love him despite Nick being gone. But Miles, Nick isn't dead, not yet. Mourning for someone who isn't dead yet is bad luck." Gregory put on an encouraging smile for Miles as the teen slowly regained his composure.

"I swear to God, if Phoenix lives through all of this, I'm never letting anything bad happen to him again."

Gregory chuckled a little. "I seem to remember making a similar promise to Malinda after she died about you. A week later you broke your arm after you fell out of a tree right in my plain sight. Trust me, Miles. Save yourself the paranoia and find something else to promise him."

--

Miles wasn't sure how long it had been since Black Jack had disappeared through the double doors of doom, he could only remember it had been evening when the man arrived and now he could see the dawn breaking through the windows.

Hayden was awaking and fussing. A nurse had been generous enough to give the teen a bottle with formula to feed the infant.

"Now tilt it up. Miles, tilt the bottle, not Hayden." Gregory said, getting a little annoying at this whole, 'not being able to hold Hayden' thing. It made it pretty difficult to pass on his parenting knowledge.

"I am tilting it! I can figure this out on my own, father! It's not rocket science."

Gregory shrugged a little and looked away. "Alright, but when he's up at three in the morning, screaming from an ear ache that _you_ gave him, don't come running to me."

"Wait, what about ear ach-"

"Miles Edgeworth?"

Miles jumped a little at the sound of his name that came from neither his father nor Franziska who was fast asleep in her chair. Looking up, he spotted one of the doctors he had seen earlier that day standing in front of the double doors separating himself from Phoenix.

As quickly as he could with an infant in his arms, Miles scrambled out of his chair and followed the doctor through the doors.

--

Gregory sighed and leaned back in his chair. He let out a pained groan when he realized just how sore his body was. Had he been a lesser man he might have thought about suing the hospital on a case of extreme discomfort… which made absolutely no sense.

The older man looked over when he heard Franziska stir from her sleep. She glanced at the empty chair that Miles had occupied when she had first gone to sleep, then up at Gregory. "Where did Miles go?"

The defense attorney managed a small smile for the little girl. "The doctor called Miles, away to talk to him."

"Oh…" Franziska said. "Is Phoenix dead?"

"I don't know." Gregory answered honestly. "But we'll find out soon."

Franziska shifted in her seat, but never broke eye contact with the older man, something Gregory found himself quite impressed with for someone her age.

"Is my papa going to jail?" Came the question that had been lingering in her mind since she had left her home.

"Yes." Gregory answered simply. But he had a feeling that Franziska already knew that. "I guess your wondering what's going to happen to you, huh?"

A small nod confirmed the defense attorney's suspicions.

"Well, do you have any family besides your father?"

For a moment Franziska thought about mentioning her sister. But she had seen or heard from her in a long time, which made Franziska suspect her sister didn't want to be found.

So she shook her head no.

There was a long, awkward moment between the two after that. Neither knew what to say to each other.

It was Gregory who finally spoke up, surprising himself and Franziska.

"Well, I know I'm no prosecutor, but if you'd like you can come to America with Phoenix, Miles and myself. You can study American law and take the bar exam there, and I'd be happy to know that Miles and Phoenix were being looked after."

Franziska's eyes widened at the offer. Go to America and study law? Living with a defense attorney and her papa's rival? She wasn't sure if that was a good idea. But then again, who else could she study law with, if not the only person good enough to actually be good enough to be considered a rival to the Von Karma name. And the thought of leaving Miles and Phoenix to their own devices was more then enough of a reason.

"Ok, I'll come with you." She answered at last. "Because someone needs to take care of those fools and that poor baby."

Gregory couldn't but laugh at the serious look he was being given. He never in a million could have guessed he'd be returning home with his son, his son's boyfriend, their baby, and the daughter of his worst enemy.

He just hoped the house was big enough.

--

"Is Phoenix alright?" Miles asked immediately as the doors shut behind him. But the doctor just continued on. A familiar panic began to rise up. Why wasn't this man telling him if Phoenix was alive or not?

"Please, tell me how Phoenix is!" Miles pleaded. The doctor shrugged, to Miles' surprise. "I don't know. That man in black took over a long time ago. He's the one who told me to get you."

Miles didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Finally, the doctor stopped in front one of the many doors. "He's in here."

With barely a thank you, Miles all but threw open the door, only to run into Black Jack. Miles paled a little when he saw the blood on his surgical gown.

_Oh god, please no…_

"Doctor Black Jack, is Phoenix… alright?"

When the older man sighed, Miles felt the hope drain from his body.

"Well, that's what I brought you here for." The doctor said in an even tone.

_Here it comes. _Miles thought, unconsciously tightening the hold he had on his son.

"He regained consciousness half an hour ago but he refuses to take any sort of sedatives until he sees you."

_What?_

Miles tried to process the doctor's words. Phoenix was alive. He was alive and he was awake.

Black Jack stepped aside, allowing Miles to enter the hospital room. He glanced down at the newborn in Miles arms. Gregory had filled him in as much as he had been able over the phone. The child looked healthy, but he'd have to take a closer later when Miles was willing to let someone else hold the infant.

Miles slowly stepped into the room and looked around at the many different machines. They were oddly familiar to him. Perhaps his mother had similar machines when she-

"Miles?"

The grey haired teen's head snapped to the other end of the room.

There he was.

Alive.

Miles was frozen in place as he stared at Phoenix with wide eyes. He could hardly believe it. He had been so sure, so ready to accept the fact he'd never see Phoenix again. But here he was, pale, weak, but alive.

"Phoenix." Miles whispered, as if he saying anything too loud would suddenly cause break this wonderful dream and Phoenix would disappear.

Phoenix smiled tiredly from his bed. "Yeah, that's my name, last I checked."

Normally, this would have been the part where Miles would roll his eyes and reply with some sort of sarcastic comment. But Miles found himself unable to speak.

So Hayden filled in the silence with a surprisingly loud burp.

This time it was Phoenix's turn to stare. "Miles… is… is that Hayden?" He asked, staring intently at the bundle Miles was holding onto for dear life. Miles nodded and approached Phoenix's bed.

"Yes. He's a lot like you. He's loud, can't stay still and has no manners whatsoever." Miles replied with a small smile. Once he reached the bed, the grey haired teen knelt down, allowing Phoenix to see their son for first time.

The look of sheer joy and wonder that came over Phoenix's face was something Miles would never forget.

Two pairs of blue eyes looked at each other, each inspecting and taking in this new person before them.

"Nice to see you, Hayden. Glad to see you're alright." Phoenix said softly and reached out to stroke his son's soft and slightly chubby cheek. Hayden gurgled in response and continued to stare at his father, wide-eyed and curious.

"Do you want to hold him?" Miles asked and Phoenix nodded quickly. "Hell yeah-er… heck yeah!" He corrected himself, quickly. "I'm probably the only who hasn't yet!" Phoenix grumbled as he struggled to sit up but soon realized he was far too weak and in too much pain to do it himself.

Miles shook his head as he used his free hand to help Phoenix sit up completely. "No, I wouldn't let anyone else hold him. The only other person was Franziska. You should thank her when you see her. She found Hayden after he was taken and took care of him until we found them."

Phoenix was silent as Miles handed Hayden over and helped Phoenix position his arms properly. The spiky haired teen smiled down at his son and took one of the infant's tiny hands in his own.

Let it go,

Let it roll right off your shoulder

Don't you know

The hardest part is over

Let it in,

Let your clarity define you

In the end

We will only just remember how it feels

"You don't what we had to go through to keep you, Hayden." Phoenix whispered, his smile still firmly in place. "We had a bit of a rough start, but it's all downhill from here. It's going to be ok now, I promise."

Miles breathed a sigh of relief and pulled up a chair next to bed.

It really was going to be ok.

Our lives are made

In these small hours

These little wonders,

These twists & turns of fate

Time falls away,

But these small hours,

These small hours still remain

--

A/N: First of all, I would like to say that this is NOT the end. Not by a long shot. Phoenix and Miles still have a long way to go.

Second, I just wanted to say that I'm glad I didn't post the alternate version I had written of this, in which Phoenix does in fact die and leaving Miles to deal with the aftermath. I really wanted to post it at first, but then I remembering something kind of important. I had intended this fic to be happy and fluffy. This drama had wormed its way in all on its own. So I went with the happy alternative. It was one of the reasons it took me so long. If you guys like, I'll post it up as an interlude or something when the next chapter is taking a while.

Finally, the next chapter is going to take a while because I decided that I'm going to add a lot more to the story then I originally wrote so it'll take longer then it normally does.

That's all for now! Thanks to everyone for reading and viewing this thing. See you soon!


	18. Why They Call 'em Bouncing Baby Boys

A/N: Hey, long time so see! But with good reason! This chapter contains ninety percent completely new content and will pretty much be that like until close to the end of this fic.

I'm sorry to stay the plot doesn't really advance all that much right now, but I'd like to think it's pretty important character development.

For now, on with the show!

--

"You know, for someone who hates earthquakes, you seem to be handling turbulence well enough."

Miles looked over at his father with a small smile. "I'm more then capable of handling a simple flight, father." _After two or three Dramamine pills, I handle just about anything. _

Normally, Miles would had refused to avoid his fears by use of drugs, but do the fact he was currently holding Hayden in his arms, the teen couldn't afford to have a panic attack and do something that would cause his son harm before they even made it back to their country.

It had been one of the longest weeks of Miles' life. Phoenix had been drifting in and out of consciousness for most of it, thanks to the various painkillers. It hadn't been that big of a deal the first couple of days, in fact, Phoenix had been able to stay awake for most of the day by day five, so Miles had left Hayden in Phoenix's care while he got himself a drink from one of the vending machines. He returned a few minutes later to find Phoenix passed out and snoring loudly, and their son who had rolled out of Phoenix's arm and was now in between the thin mattress and railing on the bed.

Needless to say, Miles took Hayden with him from then on.

And then of course, there had been his father and Franziska, who apparently was coming to live with them.

"And just where is she supposed to sleep?" Miles had asked, annoyed and flabbergasted his father of all people would make such a big decision.

Gregory just shrugged and smiles pleasantly. "We'll figure that out when we get home." He replied and quickly turned his attention to his new grandson.

It wasn't as if he disliked Franziska, he liked the little girl very much. But this was going to make his home far more chaotic this he had planned. Miles shook his head in bitter amusement at the thought of The Plan. Maybe it was time to just let it go and let things happen. He thought back to his original plan, before he decided to sleep with Phoenix almost nine months ago. It he had been so simple. Graduate early and become the most awesome defense lawyer ever. Even after he decided that it was all right for himself and Phoenix to become lovers, The Plan hadn't changed much, just re-worked slightly.

Then Phoenix had gotten pregnant, and decided to keep the baby, which proceeded to blow a gigantic whole in The Plan.

And then the entire Von Karma incident had torn his plan to pieces and now Franziska coming to live with them meant Miles' precious plan was dead and buried.

Miles couldn't remember the last time he had felt so liberated.

And yet, for all the liberation and peace surrounding the young Edgeworth, the guilt still continued to eat away at him. At the hospital, Miles had been able to distract himself from it by watching over Phoenix and taking care of Hayden. But now, in the confines of a private jet, with no sounds but the hum of the engine and his son's quiet snores, the guilt grabbed hold of the pit of his stomach, reminding Miles that Phoenix was in the back of the jet, still laying face down on a makeshift hospital bed, still hurting, because of him.

For the moment, Franziska was occupying Phoenix by attempting to teach him German. Judging from her exasperated sighs, it was not going too well.

The only other person in Miles' general vicinity was his father, who had been surprisingly helpful this past week. As the teen looked at Gregory, he remembered what Von Karma had told him, how he had practically bragged about it. Even now, Miles couldn't possibly put what that monster had done into words, even in his own thoughts. It would mean that it was that much closer to being real. But if anyone could even possibly understand what Miles had been through, it was Gregory.

"Father?"

"Yes, Miles?"

And yet, as the elder Edgeworth turned to look at Miles with the same parental smile as he always had done, the teen's words died in his throat. Gregory Edgeworth was many things to Miles and despite the older man's tendencies to crack terrible jokes and being horribly embarrassing at times, his father had always been impervious to everything life had thrown at him. In the days following the earthquake at the courthouse, Miles had been allowed to visit his father in hospital and the man had greeted him with a wide smile and a stupid joke about the hospital food being more deadly the bullet wound. Only two times in his life had Miles seen his father succumb to life's incessant cruelty. The first had been when Gregory broke the news of his mother's death, and the second had been in that brief moment a few weeks after his father's release from the hospital.

And now, even at sixteen years of age, when most children were desperate to uncover their parent's faults and weaknesses, Miles chose to hold on to the image of his untouchable, invincible father. To speak of what had occurred during his time with Von Karma could, and probably would bring up and confirm what had truly happened in that accursed elevator and shatter Miles' precious image.

"It's nothing, father." The teen replied, returning his father's smile.

Miles never attempted to bring the subject up with his father again and for the rest of his life never completely confirmed what had happened that day after the earthquake.

--

It was strange coming back home. Everything was still right where it had been the day of the kidnapping. The plastic guitars were left on the floor along with three empty plates and half a glass of water. It was almost as if time had stopped.

The sound of Hayden starting to fuss drew Miles out of his thoughts and he instinctively looked down at his empty arms only to remember Phoenix was now carrying their son. Miles had to admit, it was a load off his conscience to see the other teen up and walking and holding Hayden. With one arm. And the infant slowly sinking through Phoenix's grip. Shit.

Thankfully, Gregory had been keeping a close eye on the two and quickly reached under Phoenix' arm and pushed Hayden back up where he was supposed to be.

"Try holding your arm a little closer to your chest, Nick." Gregory advised as he helped the spiky haired teen maneuver his arm to the correct position. "Newborns can be a bit trickier to hold to with one arm. Malinda and I found that out the hard way. Poor Miles just slid right through my arm when he was two weeks old and right onto the kitchen floor. Got his first stitches that day." The older man mused much to his son's horror.

"You never told me you dropped me on my head as a baby!" Miles replied, very much outraged over this little admission and the fact his father looked far too amused by the memory.

"Haven't you ever wondered why you have that cowlick on the back of your head?" Gregory asked, pleasantly. "I'm afraid hair doesn't just grow that way. Not even Nick's."

As a reflex, Miles' hand moved to the back of his head where part of his grey hair stuck up all on its own. "Mom said it was charming." Miles muttered.

"Your mom didn't want you to feel self conscious about it." Gregory replied in a far too cheery manner for Miles' liking.

"Well she'll be sorry to hear you rendered her efforts useless." Miles continued to run his fingers over the cowlick. That was one story he really could have gone without knowing.

"It's builds character."

"_Thanks_, father. Perhaps I should take the police up on their offer and me and my _charming_ cowlick should go see that therapist."

"I think your cowlick is charming, Miles."

"Shut up, Wright."

Gregory chuckled despite himself. It was quite a relief to see that recent event had not completely changed the boys, his boys. "Well, as much I enjoy destroying my son's self esteem, I believe there are still a few more boxes to unload from the car. Now where's Franziska?" The older man looked around for the little girl, wondering where she had gone off to when he heard footsteps from upstairs. Not a moment later, Franziska showed herself at the top of the stairs.

"I have found a room to my liking." She announced, looking down at the small group below her.

"Oh, and which room is that? And what is that in your hand?" Gregory asked, eyeing the leather whip the girl held in a tight grip somewhat nervously. This wasn't going to end well. If there was one thing he had learned during his years as a lawyer, it was that nothing was ever simple or easy if the name Von Karma was attached to it.

Franziska tightened her grip on the whip in her hands and looked at Gregory with nearly the same expression Manfred Von Karma gave when he wordlessly challenged the defense attorney to prove him wrong. "I like the big room with the blue wall paper. It is the largest and least messy of the three bedrooms. As for my whip…" The girl held up the object in question. "This will be my weapon of choice in court!"

Gregory sighed and realized he was in dire need of some headache pills. "Franziska, first of all, that's my room you're trying to take over, second, you can't bring a whip into court-"

A loud cracking sound silenced Gregory Edgeworth. Phoenix and Miles stared at Franziska in surprise, hardly noticing that even Hayden's fussing that been silenced as well.

With another heavy sigh, Gregory ascended the stairs and nearly groaned in frustration when Franziska dashed down the hall, ran into his bedroom and slammed the door shut.

No, nothing was ever simple and easy when a Von Karma was involved.

Miles tried not to look as amused as he felt at the exasperated expression on his father's face. His amusement was cut short however, when a rather unpleasant smell filled the air."

"Uhh, Miles? I think Franziska's whip scared the crap out of Hayden. Literally." Phoenix said as he scrunched up his nose and held the baby out for Miles to take.

"Oh no." Miles said, crossing his arms. "I've been changing him from day one, and believe me it hasn't been pretty. It's your turn to partake in the wonderful experience of diaper changing."

The grey haired teen raised an eyebrow as Phoenix began to pout. It amazed Miles sometimes that the boy could be so mature at times and then revert back to the idiot he was at a moments notice. There had to be a switch or something inside Phoenix's brain…

"Hey, I know!" Phoenix said, bringing Miles out of his thoughts. "Let's do Rock Paper Scissors to see who has to do it!" The spiky haired boy quickly held out his hand, ready to go.

Miles heaved a sigh, all too similar to his father's moments ago. "Alright, fine if you're going to be that big of a-Phoenix! Hayden's slipping again!"

"Wha-Ack!"

There was a rather loud thump and Miles Edgeworth quickly found himself laying face down on the carpet holding his surprisingly quiet son mere inches from the ground.

"Phoenix. You're not allowed to hold Hayden with one arm anymore. Ever."

"Ok, sure. But, Miles? I… Uhhh… I think Hayden leaked onto your hand."

"Fuck my life…"

--

In the end, Miles and Phoenix agreed to let Franziska move into Hayden's room and have Hayden's crib moved into their room. It had taken some time, but Gregory had convinced the young Von Karma that it would be easier for her to take care of her 'little brothers' as she had dubbed Phoenix and Miles if she stayed in the room next to theirs.

For Miles and Phoenix, they had quickly discovered that having Hayden in their room proved to be useful, especially during the night when the infant would cry rather loudly and relentlessly until someone, (mostly Phoenix since he felt Miles deserved a break) fed him or changed him which was all a newborn could ask for at this stage of life.

Another thing the two teenagers discovered had been that, despite the dozens of books they had read, or the hundreds of informational websites they had visited, it had done very little to prepare them for the realities of parenting. For Miles, the reality of it all had hit him just a few days after Phoenix had been admitted to the hospital. He had been giving Hayden a bath in one of the hospital's spare basins and as he listened to his father's instructions Miles realized that he really was a father to this baby. This baby was going to depend on him for everything, for food, for shelter, for love. And it would be up to him to teach Hayden right from wrong, to give him what he needed to make something of himself in this world. If he screwed up, Hayden would suffer for it.

Needless to say, Miles suffered a small panic attack and nearly knocked over the basin with Hayden in it. It had taken some time, but Gregory had managed to calm Miles and assure him that they would indeed be able to handle parenthood and be a good father.

For Phoenix, it had been a far less dramatic. The idea of parenthood had hit him quite literally at three in morning when he had slammed his head into Hayden's changing table, trying to pick up the clean diaper that had fallen. For whatever reason, that little incident finally made the idea of being a father seem all the more real as he realized that this wasn't just some babysitting endeavor and for the next eighteen years he and Miles were fully responsible for this life they had made. However, Phoenix had too big of a headache to ponder it to the depths of what Miles had and just shook his head, put Hayden back in his crib and went back to bed.

--

"Ow! Mother fuc-er, shit-I mean, oooowwww…"

"Phoenix, I highly doubt Hayden can understand what you're saying so there's no need to censor yourself just yet. And why are you attempting to sit down? You know Doctor Black Jack you wouldn't be able to for another two weeks."

Miles watched as Phoenix slowly settled himself down on his stomach and tried not to feel the twinge of guilt he always did when the other boy's injury caused him pain.

An injury that could have easily been avoided had Miles not been thinking of himself.

Phoenix just sighed and looked up at Miles from his position on the bed. "I know, I just forget sometimes. Those painkillers are miracle workers. Hell, after hearing about all the damage down there I'm surprised I can even walk." Phoenix said with an amused laugh.

Miles tried not to wince as a rather graphic image entered his mind. "Yes… I'm surprised as well." He answered, not nearly as amused as Phoenix. In some ways, Miles was grateful the other boy couldn't remember what had happened. When he had asked, Phoenix just said the last thing he remembered from that day had been attempting to wake up Miles after he had been thrown into Phoenix's room. Black Jack had said it may have been due to the trauma and blood loss, but whatever the reason Miles was just happy that Phoenix never had to re-live that awful day like he had, night after night since the kidnapping.

Phoenix seemed to be completely unaware of Miles' inner turmoil as he continued. "But I guess it's a small price to pay, I mean, if I hadn't gotten torn up so badly, Hayden would have suffocated. I'd do it again if I have to, you know"

"It's a price you shouldn't have had to pay at all." Miles mumbled.

"What did you say?" The spiky haired teen asked as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"I said, It's a price you shouldn't have had to pay all!" Miles repeated in a more stern voice. "God, you never would have even been in that situation if it hadn't have been for me! If I had just listened to him and not angered him… You wouldn't be in this condition."

Phoenix's expression suddenly changed. As Miles had spoken something had started to come back, a fuzzy memory that he couldn't quite make out. But the words, the words were crystal clear.

_Your little act of rebellion will cost that boy his life, Miles. _

"Miles, what happened? I remember Von Karma said something about it… but you wouldn't tell me anything." Phoenix watched the grey haired teen's eyes widened slightly as he drifted off into his own memories.

Before Phoenix could open his mouth to prompt him again, Miles suddenly shook his head. "It doesn't matter. The point is, I put my life before yours and because of that I almost lost you and Hayden." He couldn't even look at Phoenix right now. The memories had come back at full force in all their wonderfully graphic glory. "I'm sorry, Phoenix. I'm so, sorry."

But of course, Phoenix couldn't –wouldn't- just leave it at that, Miles thought bitterly. He heard the other boy slowly and painfully roll off the bed and into a standing position before he felt a pair of hands grab his shoulders and a forehead pressed against his own.

"Miles." Phoenix whispered quietly, but Miles could hear every word. "Tell me what happened. I know I can't take away all of this guilt and pain you're feeling, but maybe you could share it with me. Remember what your dad said? We're in this for the long haul, and you carrying all of that emotional baggage can't be healthy for you in the long term."

God, how could Phoenix be such an idiot one moment and the next act like someone far more mature and grown up then either of them had a right to be as this age? It must have been that dammed switch…

Looking into those honest blue eyes, Miles opened his mouth to tell Phoenix to drop the subject, that he could work it out on his own, that he would be fine.

He ended up telling Phoenix everything.

--

_July 1__st__ 2009_

_Hayden is three weeks old_

_When I was six years old, I broke a window on my next-door neighbor's home. I don't remember what I had been doing at the time, but I remember the sound of glass breaking very distinctly. _

_I remember running into the house and hiding in my room until my father had called me for dinner. If he knew what I had done, he certainly didn't let it show. The guilt of it all finally overwhelmed me and I broke down like a witness on the stand. I felt no better then criminals in the prisons. I didn't think I deserved to be a lawyer after the heinous crime I had committed. _

_Then my father kindly informed me that the house next door had been unoccupied since before I born. _

_The relief I felt back then and the relief I feel now are one in the same. I told Phoenix everything that had happened and he listened quietly. I was surprised I was able to tell him about it so easily when I couldn't even tell my father or write it in this very book. _

_In the end Phoenix was quiet for a long time. He looked like he would start crying if he spoke at that moment and I'm sure I would have as well if I had been made to talk. It took a while, but Phoenix finally told me there was nothing to be sorry for. He told me he was proud of me for trying to protect him and Hayden. He also said he would have done the same thing to Von Karma as I had done. _

_Then I reminded him that he already had done it to me, which was where I had gotten the idea in the first place, and made him laugh. _

_Hearing Phoenix say I had done nothing that needed forgiveness so honestly after hearing what had happened… there are no words to describe the feeling of being set free from that guilt. _

_I hate to admit it, but Phoenix is a lot more intelligent the most people give him credit for. _

_He just… lacks common sense at times, I suppose. _

_I'm just glad Phoenix is recovering from his injuries. He probably shouldn't be standing as much or walking around, but I try to make sure he rests as much as possible. It also goes without saying that any type of sexual activity will have to be postponed-_

"Not if he's on top."

"What?! Father, quit reading over my shoulder! This is private!"

"It's not my fault you're writing in that thing at the kitchen table. But really Miles, would it kill you to be on bottom? Come on, take it like a man."

"I am not having this conversation with you. Now kindly let me get back to my writing."

"Alright, alright. Honestly, you have no sense of give and take in a relationship."

"I'm leaving. Now."

"I hear eating broccoli makes it easier for you if you know what I mean. There should be some in the fridge."

"_Goodbye_, father."

_One of these days I will find irrefutable proof that I was adopted. _

_Speaking of annoying thinks-they're-so-funny-but-really-not-so-called-fathers, I need to talk to mine sometime soon. _

_After my recent experiences, I think a change of occupation is in order. _

--

"Dude, he's so… scrunchy. Is he supposed to look like that?"

From his place on the couch, Phoenix shrugged. "I think so. You should have seen him when he was jut a few days old. He looked like a lump."

It had been a nice surprise to see Larry after everything that had happened. Of course, both Phoenix and Miles had been forced to listen to the other teen brag about how he had strategically hid himself in order to call the police and report the kidnapping and he was now officially a hero. About ten minutes into it, Miles had left the room without so much as an excuse me, leaving Phoenix, Larry, and Hayden in the living room.

Larry grinned down at Hayden who, up until now, had been content to lie quietly in the bassinet next to the couch. But after catching sight of the new person the infant began to babble loudly and fling his chubby arms around.

Phoenix laughed a little. "He does that a lot. I think it's his way of letting us know he's here."

"Well, it's hard to not know you're here, little guy." Larry replied, his grin growing wider which seemed to entertain Hayden even more. "Hey, I almost forgot! I have something for you." The teen looked up at Phoenix and started digging through his pockets. "I was going to give it to you a while ago… you know… before that crazy fruit dragged you to Germany-"

A sudden, loud wail cut off any and all conversation.

Phoenix looked down at his son, perplexed. "What happened? He looks a little red in the face."

Larry stared down at Hayden, feeling more then a little uncomfortable around the crying infant. "Um… I-I think he hit himself in the face with his arm when he was flinging them around."

Phoenix sighed and propped himself up on his elbows. "Could you hand him to me? I can't lift him up from the floor yet."

"What?!" Larry cried. "Ugh, no offense, dude. He's cute an' all, but I'm not touching anything that came out of your-"

"I _know_ where he came out of, Larry!" Phoenix snapped, now regretting he had let that little part of story slip when he had explained everything to his best friend. "But he's had a _lot_ of baths since then, and I'm sure he smells better then you do! Now just pick him up!" When Larry refused to move, Phoenix became fed up and moved to the edge of the couch. As he reached down to pick up his son, another pair of hands beat him to it.

Miles held Hayden in his arms with practiced ease. After the past few weeks of awkward holds and near drops, the two teens had finally mastered the Ancient Chinese Art of Baby Holding. Or at least that had been what Phoenix had called it.

"What happened?" The grey haired teen asked as he gently bounced the infant and silently sighed in relief when Hayden finally began to calm down.

"Hayden hit himself in the face." Phoenix answered as he gingerly sat up on the couch to give Miles room to sit down.

Miles raised an eyebrow as he looked down at the infant and noticed a particularly red cheek that didn't come from excess crying. "Did he really?" The teen was pretty sure Hayden had done something similar not three days ago as well. Of course his father had thought it had been hysterical and said he and Phoenix should probably keep Hayden away from any kind of sport.

Larry shrugged a shoulder. "Maybe he's just a little accident prone. I wouldn't worry about it too much. Anyway, now that you're here and the little guy's not crying anymore I can show you Nick's surprise!"

"Surprise? I don't think I can handle anymore surprises, Buttz." Miles warned. The grey haired teen felt another lovely headache coming on as Larry grinned and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out the object in question.

"Ta da! Cool, huh?" He said practically glowing with pride.

Miles, however, wasn't amused in the least. "Buttz…what the hell is this?"

"It's a hat, Edgey, a pretty badass hat if I do say so myself. I made it!"

Miles scowled at the light blue beanie Larry was now shoving into his face. Off to the side, in bright pink letters, it spelled 'PaPa!' For once in life, Miles found himself stunned into silence.

Phoenix stared at the hat as he reached out to pick it up. "Thanks, Larry. It's nice, actually." He said and put the hat on his head, much to Miles' displeasure.

"Phoenix, that hat is a monstrosity. Take it off." Miles grumbled after finding his voice again. "You look like a homeless person, for god's sake."

Phoenix just grinned widely. "But I'm a sexy homeless person! Right Miles?"

"I'm burning that hat the first chance I get."

---

_July 5__th__ 2009_

_Today I told my father I wanted to be a prosecutor. _

_I can honestly say I didn't know what to expect from this conversation. After all, I've been planning to be a defense attorney since before I even knew what it really meant. My father always looked so proud whenever I talked about it. But after everything that has happened, I realized something very important. For as many innocent people that come through the courtroom, there are just as many criminals who go free for one reason or another. _

_The thought of these monsters living out there in the same world Phoenix and Hayden live in sends chills down my spine. I've nearly lost the two people most precious to me to a madman and criminal who had been let go, and I will never let that happen again. I will send the true criminals to prison and keep Hayden and Phoenix and the innocents safe. _

_And yet, even as I spoke these words to my father, I found myself unable to look at his face. I was afraid to see the disappointment in his eyes. _

_When he was silent, I somehow managed to gather up the courage to look up at him, if only to confirm my suspicions. But instead of a disappointed frown, he was smiling. Actually smiling, and looking just as proud of me as he always was, if not more so. _

"_Miles, sometimes you act so much like your mother is scares the hell out of me." He had said, his smile still in place. "Your mother said something very similar to me when she explained why she was a prosecutor." _

_Now, that was certainly a story I had never heard before. And for once it didn't involve something that would be horribly embarrassing or leave me with a disturbing mental image. _

_Then he told me, "It doesn't matter what side of the courtroom you stand on because each side must work together to uncover the truth. In the end, the truth is all that matters. And no matter what, Miles, I will always be proud of you."_

_I would like to say we had a lovely 'father and son' moment after that, but then it seemed my father remembered himself and thought it would be hilarious to let Franziska know of my career change as penance for not taking over his law firm when he retired. _

_Personally, I think that's a complete crap and he loves watching me suffer._

_So I am now locked away in the room of a ten-year-old girl being forced to study because Franziska doesn't want to be shamed by her 'little brother's' lack of work ethic. She even used the damn whip on me! _

_The only reason I'm able to write in this book is because she finally fell asleep. _

_Note to self: Be sure to put something not nice into father's coffee tomorrow and hide the crazy girl's whip. Also, must burn that stupid hat of Phoenix's._

_--_

A/N: Like I said, not a whole lot in this chapter, kinda boring I know. But hey! It's not totally drama filled, yay! I'm actually working on the next chapter right now so here's a bit of a preview for you. Hope you guys are having (or had depending) an awesome spring break!

_Phoenix looked up at Miles, who took notice of the other boy's face, his puffy eyes in particular. The grey haired teen wondered one on earth could have happened between breakfast and this evening to make Phoenix look so upset. _

_Sitting down on the bed, Miles reached out and put a hand on Phoenix's shoulder. "You going to tell me what's wrong or I have to interrogate you?" He had meant it as a joke but it seemed like Phoenix was in no mood for any kind of humor. Instead he picked up an envelope from the pile of paper at the foot of his bed and handed it to Miles._

_Miles glanced at the address on the front and his eyes widened as he took the paper out from the envelope and read through it. _

"_Oh my God…"_


	19. Insert Beatles Song Title Here

A/N: Goodness, it's been a while hasn't it? Gotta say, real life's been real, and blah blah blah…

Anyway, here it is, the next chapter, hopefully a little less boring then the last!

Also I am attempting to go back and fix some formatting issues that I JUST noticed… go me!

XxxX

_December 2__nd__ 2010_

_Hayden is six months old. Why am I still writing that?_

_It's days like these that make me wonder if there have ever been recorded cases of someone dying out of sheer boredom. If not, I'm sure they're going to have one soon and they can list the reason being as the longest known English class in history being held on a Friday. When I first arrived at this school, I had it in my mind my schedule would be filled to the brim with course like Criminal Law and Federal Litigation like I had seen in the course book. _

_Instead those sorts of classes only fill up about a third of my school schedule. The rest is filled with classes that I can't possibly see any use for in my future career. Like this English class for example. _

"Edgeworth?"

_Who in their right mind would put a required course on a Friday afternoon?_

"Edgeworth."

_Well, whoever is responsible for this is probably sitting next to the man who created Physical Education and having a lovely conversation in hell._

"_Mister_ Edgeworth!"

Miles quickly lifted his head to look at the rather perturbed teacher not two feet away from him. From the look on his face, the young man could deduce that this was not first attempt to get his attention.

"Mister Edgeworth" The middle aged instructor said, crossing his arms and straightening his back even more then it already had been. "I know it is almost the start of the weekend and you are eager to go out and reek havoc like most young people your age, but you of all people cannot afford to just daydream in the middle of a lecture. Do so again and I will be forced to hold you and the _adults_ back so we can make sure everyone retains this information."

Miles, to his credit, kept any trace of annoyance out of his expression as he nodded and mumbled an apology. He stared straight ahead until his instructor was once again caught up in sound of his own voice and let his thoughts begin to drift.

Not every class was this bad, thank the lord. But sometimes it was difficult not to point out that most of the so called _adults_ as his English teacher loved to emphasize when speaking to him, were planning on going out and getting completely wasted before stumbling back into the wrong dorm (Miles' dorm to be exact) and vomiting all over his bed.

For one of the most prestigious law schools in the country this place somehow felt like high school part two, only these people were supposedly the "best and brightest'' of their generation. If this was how previous generations behaved, it certainly explained a lot about the country's current state.

Miles knew that not every person who attended this school were irresponsible trust fund babies with almost impossible connections. But having his instructor treat him like an irresponsible child while leaving the other 'adults' alone made it very easy to generalize.

And why not? He thought somewhat bitterly. This man had no idea how hard he had worked to get here, how hard he worked once he got to this place, or how almost every weekend, he'd pack up his hideously heavy backpack full of his schoolwork and drive four hours to visit and spend time with his family.

The thought of Phoenix and Hayden caused Miles' hand moved to his front pocket almost on reflex where he carried a slightly worn photo of the three of them that his father had taken just before Miles had left for school.

So far, everything was going smoothly. Miles knew this would pay off for both himself and Phoenix in the end. Going to school and working as hard as he could meant that he could support his small family that much more easily.

Finally, the English class from Hell was dismissed and Miles headed to his dorm to pack his things. On his way, he took out his cell phone from his back pocket and dialed Phoenix's number. He frowned upon receiving no answer, but this was nothing unusual and Miles had stopped having panic attacks about third time the other boy had failed to charge his phone.

XxxX

After four and half hours of weaving through traffic and nearly getting killed by almost a dozen different drivers, Miles pulled into the driveway and shut off the car. For a moment, the young man leaned back in his seat, shut his eyes and let out a long sigh. He loved coming home, but sometimes the insanity level of said home tended to vary from week to week and Miles had learned to mentally prepare himself for just about anything.

As he exited his car and entered his home, he relieved to find the house quiet. It was a little after ten and his father and Franziska had probably already gone to bed. Quietly making his way up the steps, Miles was relieved to see the small crack of light coming from the his and Phoenix's bedroom. At least someone in this house was still awake.

But upon opening the door, Miles' hopes were dashed. The first thing he caught sight of was Hayden sleeping flat on his back on the bed, something Miles didn't approve of since Hayden had begun to master the art of rolling over. The grey haired teen found Phoenix not too far away from their son, laying face down on top of a pile of papers, which Miles just noticed were covering the bed.

With a silent sigh, Miles dealt with Hayden first. He scooped up the infant and carried the child to his crib and carefully laid Hayden down. Once that had been taken care of, Miles began to clear away the papers, mumbling to himself. Honestly, how could one person be this disorganized? And would it have killed Phoenix to clean up a little before he came home to visit? School and that lovely little four-hour drive weren't actually pleasant to deal with so was it too much to ask for a little cleanliness on the weakened?

It didn't take long for Miles' cleaning to awaken the other boy. Phoenix groaned and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times before realizing Miles was home. And cleaning up after him. His least favorite thing to do. Crap.

Quickly, Phoenix sat up and began to gather the rest of papers; even snatching the ones Miles had already collected and tried to put them in some kind of order.

"Shit, I'm so sorry Miles! I just thought I'd take a nap before I finished my homework but I guess I was more tired then I thought. There, got it!" The boy grabbed the last of the last paper and set the pile on the nightstand. Phoenix gave the bed one last look around and noticed something was missing. "Crap, Hayden didn't roll off the bed did he?"

"No, I put him in his crib before you let that happen." Miles said, the grouchy tone was evident in his voice. This entire day had been hell and this was just another lovely thing to tack on at the end. "Furthermore, I don't think I like casual tone you used when referring the possibility of our son rolling off the bed and possibly hurting himself.

Phoenix frowned as he looked down at the floor, then towards the crib where Hayden slept peacefully. "I'm sorry, Miles. I was just joking. I knew you'd probably put him to bed."

As Miles prepared to give the other boy a lecture on poor jokes after a long, arduous day, he noticed something about Phoenix that he probably should have picked up on the moment he had woken up.

There were bags under his eyes similar to Miles' when he had been up all night studying over the course of a few days. But it wasn't just the bags that concerned him. In fact, now that he was paying attention, he could see the puffiness and left over moisture around his eyes as well.

Almost immediately, Miles felt his mood shift from annoyance to one of concern for the other boy. "Phoenix." He said gently. "Is everything alright?"

The other teen's tired eyes widened a little at the change in tone and the sudden question of his well being. He quickly shook his head. "Yeah, of course I'm fine! Just a few late nights that's all."

"Phoenix…"

"No really! I'm totally fine!" Phoenix said as he plastered a grin on his face. "Hayden just kept me up all night last because he had an earache. But it was fine because I needed to finish my homework anyway."

The look Miles gave him, obviously stated he wasn't buying it.

Phoenix sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. "Well, I guess it would have been nice if he had gone to sleep a little earlier since by the time I went to bed and woke up, it was already a little late, but how is that any different from normal, huh?" Phoenix chuckled nervously as he continued. "I was getting ready as fast I could, but then Hayden started crying because he was hungry, normal stuff you know? And your dad already left for work and took Franziska with him so it was just me and the little guy."

'So I feed him as quick as I can, finish getting ready and grab my stuff and Hayden's stuff for day care, then as we're walking out the door –get this- Hayden throws up all over me! Can you believe that?" Phoenix starts laughing, but the hollowness in that laugh makes Miles frown even further.

"I change all my clothes and hope I don't stink and hurry out before Hayden can puke on me again. I get him to the daycare center, drop him off and run to school. By now I'm like, twenty minutes late. I make it to my class and my teacher says that I've been late too many times and he gives he an after school detention."

"That's ridiculous, Phoenix." Miles said interjected. "You were a victim of circumstances. Why didn't you call my father and have him explain?"

Phoenix shrugged; his smile was just barely hanging on his face now. "Yeah, he could explain, but it wouldn't help. Your dad isn't my dad or my legal guardian. And it's not like my parents are going to do anything."

Miles nodded silently. The only contact Phoenix had with his parents had been a rather rushed phone call a few days after they had gotten home from Germany. As Phoenix continued, Miles began to wonder if these little 'incidents' occurred often. If they did why hadn't Phoenix said anything to him?

"So after schools over, I sit in detention for about two hours, freaking out over Hayden sitting in daycare longer then normal. I mean, that place is nice, but they charge you late fees and shit if you don't get your kid on time. But I guess someone was looking out for me cause your dad went and got him when he found out I wasn't home yet."

Miles silently hoped that this would be the end of the story since he was full of questions he wanted Phoenix to answer. The biggest being why Phoenix didn't want to tell him all of this. But once he saw the smile on the other boy's face fall off completely, he knew this story wasn't quite over.

"So then I finally got home. Franziska told me I had a letter and it looked important. She handed me the letter and I looked at it…"

Phoenix paused in his story to reach over to the nightstand and dig through some of the papers and pulled out an opened envelope with the letter still inside. He tossed it in Miles' direction, not wanting to look at it more then he had to.

Miles frowned as he took the envelope and wondered what kind of letter could put Phoenix in this type of mood. As he read the address his eyes slowly became larger. "Oh my god... Phoenix… this is..."

Phoenix nodded. "I know what it is. Go ahead and read it."

The other teen quickly yanked the out the letter and skimmed through it. "No way… Phoenix, you've just gotten past the hardest step towards getting into one of the best art schools in the country! This is great!"

"_So how long so I have to keep sitting like this?"_

"_Just a little longer, and try not to look so constipated. There's going to be a whole mess of people looking at this when I'm done!" _

"_Oh yay, I can't wait…" Miles rolled his eyes, but stayed as still as could. But it proved to be rather difficult as he was currently sitting in what he was sure was the world's most uncomfortable chair in a rather uncomfortable position for the last two hours. "I hope you realize, Phoenix, how much you're going to owe me after all of this."_

_Phoenix laughed as he sat crossed legged on the edge of the bed with easel off to the side and Miles in front of him. "Yeah, yeah, quit reminding me. Look, I'll pay you back once my career takes off. How does… a wing in my future mansion sound to you?"_

"_Phoenix, have you ever heard of a 'starving lawyer?'" Miles asked flatly. _

"_Umm, no I don't think I have." The other boy replied, only half listening. _

"_Exactly. They have the phrase 'starving artist' for a reason. But don't worry; you can always have a wing in _my_ mansion. "_

_It was Phoenix's turn to roll his eyes this time. "Well, we'll see what happens. First I have to finish this painting before I get too fat to reach the canvas. Then I can submit it and pray they'll accept it." _

_Miles almost turned his head to look at Phoenix, but remembered to stay still. "Phoenix, you're only in your second year of high school. I think it's a little bit soon to be thinking about that." _

_Phoenix shook his head. "You don't know much about how this place works, do you? Heh, kind of funny considering you were the one who told me about it when we were in middle school." _

"_Yes, and you've never shut up about the place since then." _

"_Ha ha. This coming from Mister I'm Gonna Be a Great Attorney so I Must Point Out Every Injustice I See Even if it Gets Me Stuffed into Lockers. Anyway, the process is pretty competitive. Not to mention it takes forever for them to go over a single portfolio. And getting your portfolio accepted is just the first step, but the hardest one. So most people submit theirs around this time." Phoenix said as he finished his sketch on the canvas. "Alright, you can move now." _

_Miles sighed in relief and stood up, happy to be free of that awful chair. Out of curiosity, the grey haired teen walked over to take a peek at the picture. _

"_Phoenix…" _

"_Yeah?"_

"_This is good." _

"_Oh, you think so?"_

"_I mean this is _really_ good. I didn't know you were this good." _

_Phoenix's face began to heat up at the compliment. He wasn't used to hearing things like that come out of Miles' mouth. But it meant more then anything his art teacher (bless her heart) had to say. "Well, if you really like it, I can show you it when it's done. Hopefully I can get it done before my body turns me into a beached whale." He said with a small pat to his stomach. _

_Miles chuckled. "Well, if anyone is going to get into that school, it's you." He said and rolled one of his stiff shoulders. "Besides, it's not like you're going be like that forever. By summertime everything will go back to normal and you can paint as much as you want." _

_The other boy grinned and nodded. "Right! Now let's go get some food! I'm thinking burritos!"_

"_And I'm thinking something that won't give us heart attacks…"_

Miles looked down from the letter then back to Phoenix who didn't look as thrilled as he should have been. In fact he didn't look happy at all. Was it shock?

"I'm not going."

"Wait, what?" Miles couldn't believe what he had just heard. Did he hear it wrong? That had to be it. "Phoenix, this is what you've been dreaming of since you found out art schools exist. You talk about this place the same way I talk about law. You worked on everything in that portfolio for almost your entire second year. And all of a sudden you say you're not going?"

Phoenix couldn't find it in himself to look up at Miles. "Miles… that school is in another state completely. I can't just go there and leave Hayden here. Your dad has already done a lot. He still does a lot. But it's not right to let Mr. Edgeworth take care of Hayden when he already has a job to do along with looking after Franziska. And what would that do to Hayden? He doesn't deserve to be passed around more then he already has."

"Phoenix…" Now Miles was starting to understand. He teen moved to sit down next to Phoenix and wrapped an arm around him. "Phoenix, I'm so sorry… "

But the dark haired boy shook his head. "No, i-it's ok. I mean, I was the one who decided to keep Hayden in the first place, even after you told me what would happen. And you were right." He said with a sad smile. "Sometimes sacrifices have to be made."

That hit Miles like a slap in the face. Sacrifices. Yes, he remembered that argument. But in the end they both had agreed to approach parenthood together. They both agreed there were things they would have to let go of. But over all, what had Miles been forced to sacrifice? He was at his dream school, free to study in his own dorm, only coming home one a week for two days to see his family before leaving again. No, Miles was living his dream assuming that everything was fine since Phoenix never said anything and always smiled when he came to visit. Now that Miles thought about it, Phoenix had done nothing _but_ sacrifice since the day they had confirmed the boy was pregnant. He had sacrificed his body, his home, his parents, and nearly his life. And now the school he had worked so hard to get into was just an impossible dream.

Before Miles could open his mouth to speak, Phoenix beat him to it. "But that wasn't the really bad part." He said, his voice starting to crack, which made Miles tighten his grip on the boy.

"A-after I read the letter, Hayden started crying and I thought… I thought… I-if only Hayden wasn't around I could go without a second thought… if he wasn't around things would be…" Phoenix found himself unable to continue as his eyes began to water once again and he buried his face in Miles' shoulder. "I couldn't believe I thought that… I love Hayden, Miles! What kind of parent thinks something like that about their own baby?"

"A human one." Miles answered as his free hand moved to the boy's back and began rubbing it slowly. "Ever since you recovered… no. Ever since you found out you were pregnant, you've done everything in Hayden's best interest. You've done so much for him, Phoenix. You are a good parent."

Phoenix was silent, save for the occasional sniffling and shuddering breath. For the moment, he seemed to be feeling better but the same couldn't be said for Miles. "Why didn't you tell me about all of this? If I hadn't made you, you wouldn't have said anything."

The other boy looked up at Miles, wiping away the water in his eyes. "I didn't want you to worry, Miles. You work really hard at school and I didn't want to bother with my stupid little problems. I mean compared to yours-"

"Phoenix. I want you listen to this, and take it in." Miles said firmly. "You're problems are _not_ stupid and they are _not_ less then my own. What you are doing is just as important as me and if you're feeling like this I want you to tell me because I care about and your problems, you idiot. Now, I think I know a perfect way to solve this… or at least a short term solution."

"Oh, and what's that?" Phoenix asked, genuinely curious.

"I know the art school is out of the question, as much as I wish I could fix that, but I think we should do something tomorrow. You, me and maybe Larry. We could get my father watch Hayden and we could all go out and enjoy ourselves."

Phoenix looked doubtful and a little guilty. "But, I can't ask your dad to do that… and don't you have your homework to do? You always bring a ton home."

"Don't worry about that." Miles said with a small smile. "I'm sure father won't mind and I can find time for homework later. Now, we're going to have fun tomorrow whether you like it or not so I suggest you get used to the idea."

Miles had to admit he was relieved to hear a true laugh coming out Phoenix's mouth after everything that had happened. Before he even realized it, his mouth was on Phoenix's kissing the other boy softly. It wasn't long before Phoenix took control and Miles found himself laying on his back with the dark haired teen on top of him. It had been far too long since either boy had been able to go any further then quick kiss and frankly, Miles missed it. And judging from the wonderful things Phoenix was doing with his mouth as he moved from the grey haired teen's lips to his neck, he was sure the other boy had missed it just as much.

A low moan escaped Miles' lips as he reached up to tug on Phoenix's shirt, only to have the other boy grab his hands and pin them down at his sides. "Not just yet. Right now, it's my turn." Phoenix said with a playful smile, much to Miles' amusement, before Phoenix leaned back down to continue.

However his amusement quickly turned to horror when he heard the bedroom creak open.

"F-Franziska!"

Phoenix stopped what he was doing immediately and looked at Miles with a suspicious eye. "Miles… If you just said what I think you did then I think we need to have a talk."

"No! _Franziska!"_ Miles said again, looking over towards the door. Phoenix turned to look as well and frowned when he saw no one was there. "Look Miles, if you don't want to bottom that badly then-"

The horrifyingly familiar crack of a whip, shut Phoenix up immediately.

"Phoenix! How dare you try to hurt Miles?" The little girl demanded, entering the bedroom and preparing for another strike.

Phoenix quickly clamored off the bed and help up his hands in surrender. "I haven't been hurting him, I promise! He's fine Franziska, really!"

Franziska looked down at her 'little brother' lying on the bed before narrowing his eyes.

"Then what his that horrible mark on his neck?"

"…Oh shit. Now Franziska, let's talk about this! No need for violence!" But Phoenix was already on the other end of the room considering if jumping out the window would be a better alternative to the wrath a pissed off ten year old girl.

"Alright, what on earth is going on in here?" came Gregory Edgeworth's voice as he stuck his head in the bedroom.

"That foolish fool tried to murder Miles!" Franziska accused Phoenix and readied her whip again.

Gregory looked down at Franziska, then to a still terrified Phoenix, then to the crib where Hayden had woken up and started babbling, and then to his rather disheveled looking son with a telltale bruise on his neck.

"It's nothing to worry about Franziska. Miles is fine. In fact, I must say I'm glad you took my advice, Miles." He said, far too cheerfully for Miles' liking.

Franziska lowered her whip, giving Phoenix one last glare as she tucked it away. "Fine, I'll believe you're innocence for now. But don't you think I won't be keeping my eye on you. If Miles gets another bruise…"

"And a rather nice one, I might add. Seems like Nick pretty talented." Gregory said, getting a good look at Miles' neck.

"Father!" Miles choked out. "O-of all the things you could say!"

Gregory had the gall to look completely innocent. "What? I was just making an observation, Miles. By the way I bought some extra broccoli yesterday for you… just in case."

Both Phoenix and Franziska were rightfully confused.

Miles just groaned and flopped down on the bed. He didn't know which was worse, the thought that he and Phoenix might never be able to have sex again in this house, or the fact that Miles was starting to get used to insanity that was the Edgeworth household.

XxxX

The next morning, Miles managed to wake up and get out of bed without disturbing Hayden or Phoenix, though, from what he could tell, a 9.0 earthquake wouldn't be able to wake Phoenix up at this point.

Thankfully, his father was already awake and sitting in the kitchen with his coffee, to which Miles thankfully shuffled over to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup.

"Hey now, kids shouldn't be drinking coffee." Gregory said as he took a sip from his own mug.

Miles sat down next to his father and huddled over his mug for a moment before taking a long sip. "After everything that's happened this year, the only thing separating me from the adults is simple legalities."

"Point." Gregory mumbled into his mug before placing it down on the table. "So, what can your old man do for you in this fine Saturday morning?"

The grey haired hesitated for a moment, wondering if it really fair to ask his father for this.

Then he remembered last night and suddenly it wasn't that hard of a decision.

In fact, his father owed him. Hell, if he counted up all of the embarrassing things his father had put him through, the man probably owed him a solid gold Porsche that could transform into a jet driven by a Shetland pony. But now he was getting off track.

"Actually, I was wondering if you could watch Hayden for us today? I want to take Phoenix out because I think he could use a break." Miles stated, looking down at his mug.

"Finally!" Gregory said with an exasperated sigh. "Do you know how long I've waited to actually get to do the grandpa thing? I know Nick wants to be responsible, but if he doesn't take a break soon, the poor kid is going to burn himself out."

Miles nodded in agreement as he tried to push away the feelings of guilt at the thought. "I think he reached that point a little a while ago, which is why I'm making sure he has some fun. I think we could both use it actually."

Gregory smiled at his son. "Good. You guys have been through hell and you deserve to act your age for once. Trust me, once you hit that big one- eight you cant go back. Now, go get Nick and get him out of here before he snaps and stuffs Hayden in the closet or something.

The grey haired teen wrinkled his nose in disgust. "First of all, that was in very poor taste, but I guess I should expect that by now. Second of all, there's no way Phoenix would do something like that."

"I don't know…" Gregory mused. "I mean, when you were a baby, you had a lovely little condition called colic. You cried and cried all day and night for about two months. It's a good thing it wasn't just your mom taking care of you otherwise I'm pretty sure she would have tossed you out the window by the second week."

Miles knew he should be used to these shocking little tidbits from his childhood, but some things just never stopped throwing him off.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder if the nice, gentle and loving woman that I envisioned in my mind for years was all a lie." He mumbled and wondered if his father still locked the liquor cabinets.

Gregory chuckled to himself. "Well, mostly." He admitted. "Malinda was a strong, independent woman with the shortest temper I've ever seen. And that was _outside_ the courtroom. Inside the courtroom she could a flat out demon, God bless her." Gregory began to smile, almost to himself as he let go of his mug to run his fingers over the wedding ring he still wore. "But if there was one person on this earth who could turn that fierce woman into a pile of mush, it was you, Miles. Yes, there were times when being a parent was difficult, but that's how it goes. But right up until your mom went into the hospital she made sure you were always right next to her so she could take care of you. Hell, even after she got sick, Malinda still had you with her for a while."

Miles stared into his mug and his very faint reflection in the dark liquid looked back at him. In the very corners of his mind, the teen was able to just barely make out a young woman with well kept light brown hair in a wheelchair, wheeling away from several doctors as quickly as she could as they yelled for her. And there was little boy on her lap, laughing along with his mother as they turned a corner.

The grey haired seen smiled to himself. "I think I remember sitting on her lap while she wheeled me around."

The older Edgeworth blinked in surprise. "I'm surprised you remember that. You two turned a pretty sharp corner after about ten minutes and-"

"Father? Just let me keep that little memory without the horror story for once. Please?"

"Fine, fine. You aren't any fun sometimes."

Miles sighed and stood up to go clean out his cup and finish getting ready. "So, if mother was as frightening as you say she was-"

"And believe me kiddo, she was."

"…Then why did you marry her in the first place?"

"Oh, she asked me."

"What?"

"Well, not so much _asked_. It was more like she _made_ me." Gregory nearly grinned at the memory. "Something about not wanting her first born to be a bastard child."

"You have officially ruined ninety five percent of my childhood."

"Oh, give me another fifteen minutes and we'll see about that last five percent."

XxxX

By eleven o' clock, the rest of the household was awake, dressed and ready for the day. In exchange for not ruining his _entire_ childhood, Miles agreed to take Franziska with them on their outing. The little girl wasn't too thrilled at the thought of having to go out instead of being allowed to study, and even less thrilled about having to leave her whip; but the promise of being taken to the courthouse on Monday was too tempting to pass up.

Phoenix reluctantly handed Hayden over to Gregory. He still felt guilty about leaving Hayden while he went out and had fun, but Mr. Edgeworth had assured him over and over that it was natural and completely acceptable to have a day to himself.

"Alright, Buttz should be here pretty soon." Miles said as he snapped his cell phone shut. "Apparently we're all going to the pier today." Though he had no idea why Buttz would want to go there of all places. It was full of barely operating rides, life-threatening food, and rigged carnival games. But after seeing the rather excited look on Phoenix's face when he mentioned the place, he couldn't bring himself to say anything.

It wasn't long before Larry burst through the doors, much to Miles' annoyance.

"Last I checked, Buttz, you are supposed to knock before coming into someone's house." Miles stated, but the words seemed to have no effect on Larry or his annoyingly large grin. "Oh lighten up a bit, Edgey! This day is all about having fun! And guess what?" The boy held up a key and jingled it in Miles' face. "I'm drivin'! I got my license while you were off doing your college thing!"

"So, they're giving driver's licenses to monkeys now?" Franziska asked, looking up at Larry with a glare that had been perfected since she and this… thing her little brothers had befriended, had first met.

Larry just laughed and reached down and dared to ruffle the little girl's hair. "Hey, don't worry so much, 'ziska. We're going to have an awesome day!"

Phoenix and Miles both took a step back for their own safety when Larry ruffled Franziska's hair and another two when he called her 'ziska.

Fortunately, Gregory had seemed to have mastered the delicate art of placating Franziska von Karma over these past six months and casually mentioned out loud that since he had no cases currently there was no real reason to go the courthouse on Monday. To both Miles' and Phoenix's relief, the imminent explosion and death by ten year old girl was averted for now.

"Alright! Let's get going!" Larry shouted with a rather healthy amount of enthusiasm. "If we hurry we can probably beat the crowd and get the on roller coaster before the line gets too long!" And with that, Larry bolted out the door and hurried to his car.

"Oh yes, we wouldn't want to miss the roller coaster." Miles mumbled and walked out with Franziska following close behind him.

As Phoenix walked out, he took one last look at Hayden before hurrying outside to join the others.

Finally, the car pulled away and the house fell silent, leaving only Gregory Edgeworth and Hayden Wright. The elder of the two sighed in relief and looked down at Hayden with a wide smile. "Well, looks like it's just us for today. Hmm? What's that?" He asked as he leaned an ear closer to Hayden, causing the infant to giggle and start babbling. "Oh! You want hear embarrassing stories about your parents, do you? Well, your in luck, because your grandpa is chalk full of them!"

XxxX

When evening rolled around and sun had nearly set, two teenagers and a ten year old dragged themselves through the door.

"I'm never getting in the car with Larry again. Ever." Phoenix moaned gripping his stomach. "I don't know what was scarier. That shit that happened in Germany or Larry behind the wheel."

"I don't think it was all that terrible." Franziska mentioned, though her voice was slightly muffled since she was currently holding a giant stuffed panda that was nearly twice her size.

Miles rolled his eyes as he shut the door behind him. "You're only saying that because Buttz won that stupid panda for you."

Franziska remind silent behind her stuffed animal.

Phoenix couldn't help but laugh. It was hard believe that one day at the pier had helped so much. The entire day had been filled with nothing but fun moments and non-stop enjoyment. He had nearly forgotten what it was like to just let go and act like a seventeen year old for once. And Phoenix was sure that Miles had secretly enjoyed himself far more then he let on. While the grey haired boy had stayed far away from the roller coaster, Phoenix had discovered Miles secretly stuffing his face with cotton candy while he thought everyone was still on the ride.

It was a shame he could never put the picture up on the Internet without risking death or near fatal injury, but just having it was enough for him.

"Well, look who's back, Hayden!"

Phoenix quickly looked up in the direction of Gregory's voice and his entire lit up at nearly the same time his son had when they saw each other. The spiky haired teen quickly gathered Hayden into his arms and sighed. Everyone had been right it seemed. The world hadn't ended because he had taken a day for himself. Hayden was just fine and happy to see him, and Phoenix was more then happy to return those feelings.

XxxX

Later that night, both Phoenix and Miles sat on bed with their son in between them and their respective schoolwork in their laps. "Thanks again for today, Miles." Phoenix said as a small smile played on his lips. "It really was just what I needed after everything that's been going on."

Miles looked up from the book he was reading and nodded. "It was nothing, really. I just wish there was something more I could do. It still doesn't seem fair."

"Eh, that's life." Phoenix shrugged and went back to his geometry. "Sometimes life changes things. Besides, I heard the local University has a pretty good art program."

"The local University, huh? Isn't that Ivy University?

"Yup, I could take the bus there no problem. Oh, look at that." Phoenix said, looking at the clock. "I should go give Hayden his bath."

But before he could set his homework aside and pick up his son, Miles had beaten him to it. "Here, I'll give him a bath. You still have a lot of work to do, Phoenix."

Phoenix, while grateful, cast the other boy a doubtful look. "If you're sure you can handle it, because you should probably know-"

"Phoenix." Miles interrupted. "Don't forget I'm Hayden's father to. I know what I'm doing."

"Yes, I know that Miles but he has a tendency to-"

"Just because I'm not here as much as you are doesn't mean I'm any less capable. Now finish your homework or relax or something. I'll be back soon." And with that, a rather offended Miles Edgeworth walked out of the bedroom with his giggling son in his arms.

Phoenix just sighed and laid back down against the pillows and shut his eyes as he heard the sound of running water, waiting for the inevitable.

"Oh my go-_Your_ son just pooped in the tub!"

Phoenix was far too busy laughing to respond.

XxxX

"And you are _completely_ sure you want to do this?"

Miles looked his counselor in the eye with a determined look on his face, contrasting the man's dumbfounded expression. "Yes sir, I have thought it over long and hard and decided this would be the best option for me."

The counselor scratched his head and sighed. "Mr. Edgeworth, you realize you are transferring from the top rated law school to a state run university? You told me before of your goal of working as a prosecutor with the district courts. It will be very difficult for you without a degree from this school."

The young man nodded, but his expression didn't change. "Hard, but not impossible. And I am no stranger to hard work, sir."

The older man still couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Is it too much for me to ask _why_ you are doing this?"

The corners of Miles' mouth rose just high enough to constitute a smile as he spoke.

"Sometimes sacrifices have to be made."

XxxX

Woo hoo! All finished. I've been working on this one for a little while in between my other goings on. And now with this chapter, we move on to the game timeline and see just how much everything has been changed since there was no DL-6 incident.

And, like before, I'll give you a quick preview of the next chapter. Hopefully I can get it up a tad bit faster then this one.

_Phoenix wasn't sure what to make of it at first. It was a very nice necklace, but was pretty fancy and he had never been a very fancy person. _

"_Pretty…" Hayden marveled as the five year old stared at the necklace with wide blue eyes._

_Still unsure, Phoenix looked to the young woman who had given it to him. "Umm, are you sure it's alright for me to have this? I mean it looks pretty expensive." _

_The woman just laughed melodically which, for some reason, put Phoenix at ease completely. Even Hayden seemed rather captivated. "Oh, but I insist! Call it an apology for our misunderstanding earlier. And perhaps a gesture of friendship?" She added with a hopeful look in her eye. _

_The dark haired man couldn't help but grin as he held out his hand. "Sure, I'd love to be friends! The name's Phoenix Wright." _

_The woman smiled pleasantly and daintily shook Phoenix's hand. "It's a pleasure, Feenie. My name is Dahila Hawthorne." _


End file.
